A Leap Of Faith
by TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne
Summary: Bringing back my first fan fic. The Titans meet Ahsoka Tano and some other Jedi Knights. All new chapters! Chapter 55 is posted. To Dathomir.
1. Chapter 1

Some of you will remember this story. It was my first fan fic, which I originally posted almost 10 years ago. I originally removed it because I thought it was a bit mediocre. So I'm going to try to clean it up a bit and repost it. If it's new for you, I hope you enjoy it.

Also, I wrote this before the Clone Wars cartoon series concluded. As we all know now, Ahsoka Tano never became a Jedi Knight, so bear with the fact that this story doesn't conform to present day Star Wars canon.

Now on to the show!

Chapter 1 – A warrior without a purpose

Jarvik Katarra gazed upon the night sky from his apartment balcony on Obroa Skai. He had been stationed at Obroa Skai since the start of the Clone War, his mission to protect the galactic library from sabotage by the separatists.

He had 5 garrisons of clone troopers at his beckoning, which in his opinion was overkill. He knew that the separatists had no intention of attacking the library, which was neutral and open to all who wished to access it. In his opinion, guarding it actually placed the library, and the entire world of Obroa Skai in danger as its neutrality was made suspect by the presence of Republic forces. The presence of 4 Jedi didn't help either: one Master, one (newly minted) Knight and two older Padawans helped put a great big bulls-eye on Obroa Skai. Jarvik Katarra should know, since he was the Jedi Master in charge of protecting the library world.

What was the council thinking of when they sent him on this pointless and seemingly never ending mission? He should have been out there engaging the Separatists, especially when there were neophytes out there fighting while he was stuck babysitting a library. He was well known as one of the most powerful Jedi warriors, and his skills rivaled those of Masters Yoda and Windu. But he knew the real reason for his exile. He had been too close and too loyal to his old Master Qui Gon Jinn, not to mention Qui Gon's Master, Count Dooku (at least until Dooku left the Jedi order). They didn't trust him, especially after they learned that he had been secretly studying ancient Sith Holocrons with Dooku. Now that Dooku was a Sith Lord, Master Katarra knew that he had lost all credibility with the Council, and perhaps with the entire Jedi Order, hence his non-mission.

And speaking of neophytes, just last month the council had sent the youngest Jedi Knight in the order's history to keep an eye on him, with two troubled Padawans along for the ride. The Padawans had been trouble makers at the Jedi Temple since they reached puberty, and under normal circumstances they would have been expelled from the order. But these were not ordinary times, with the first galactic civil war in thousands of years threatening to tear the galaxy apart, and to make matters worse the Sith were lurking once again the shadows.

So it came as no surprise that Jedi would try to salvage every Padawan they could. The number of Jedi that had been lost in the war was staggering. So he wasn't surprised that he was now the Temple's new garbage man. So be it. He would show them what he could do with "rejects". He would make sure that Nuvuti Seik and Sleedo Osma would be great Jedi Knights someday, even if they were undisciplined pranksters. He would take care of that.

What really bothered him was the choice of his babysitter: Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's old Padawan, the youngest Jedi to ever to pass the trials and be conferred the rank of Knight, at the tender age of 16. While he sat rotting on Obroa Skai she had been involved in some of the most important missions in the War and was a well known hero, her face plastered all over the Holo-Net. They even had a nickname for her: The Teen Titan.

Jarvik knew that there was no point in crying over spilt milk. It was obvious that the war was winding down. Just last week Darth Tyranus died at Skywalker's hand's (perhaps the rumor that he was the Chosen One might be true). Still, how could Dooku ever have been seduced by the Dark Side? He had to have been perhaps the noblest Jedi ever. It made no sense. And he just heard that Obi Wan Kenobi, along with Commander Cody and his highly glorified 501st clone rangers had General Grievous cornered in one of the many sink pits that frequented the surface of Utapau. The Force be willing the war would soon end and he would have something to do more befitting someone of his abilities.

What concerned him was at that moment was the strange trembling he felt in the force. From studying the Sith Holocron many years ago he recognized the way the Sith shrouded their mark on the force. He knew that something was afoot, something evil and deadly. He tried to gaze into the future, but everything was dark and cloudy. The Sith were up to something.

At that moment his communicator chimed. It was Ahsoka and he could feel her concern and confusion through the force. "Master, you need to come down to the guard station. There is something you have to see". Her voice betrayed that she was very worried as well.

"I'll be right there Ahsoka" he replied.

' _Oh well, the Sith are on the move. Something tells me that today won't be boring'_ he thought as he ran off to meet his second in command.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – A leap of faith

Upon entering the guard station the first thing Jarvik noticed is that there had just been a battle there. Dozens of clone troopers were lying dead on the floor. Ahsoka and the two Padawans were almost in a state of shock, their sabers still ignited.

"What happened to the clones?!" Jarvik screamed as he entered. Slowly Ahsoka snapped back to reality. "They attacked us with no warning, and almost succeeded in killing us". She paused. "But that's not why I called you here. The Jedi Temple has been attacked'. She paused again, with tears welling up in her eyes. "Everyone there was killed, younglings, civilian employees, even the few Jedi." she sobbed.

Jarvik was stunned. The news seemed impossible, but deep inside The Force confirmed that it was true.

"Who did this? How did this happen?" Jarvik asked in a breathless voice. Ahsoka briefly regained her composure before replying.

"It was Anakin. He has been turned to the dark side," she said. Jarvik could sense Ahsoka's confusion and disbelief, and the evidence of her inner tumult was clear as she struggled to explain, "He is now a Sith Lord. He calls himself.. _Darth Vader_. He led an army of clone troopers into the temple and ... and..." she struggled to complete the sentence "and he slaughtered _everyone._ "

As the news sank in Jarvik approached the communication console to see if there was any other news to be gathered. He tried to contact other Jedi, but no one answered. He reached out to the Force and could only sense a few dozen Jedi throughout the entire galaxy. He realized that the others had probably been killed by their own troops. Then he found the distress signal from the Temple.

"Ahsoka, make preparations to leave Obroa Skai".

"What about our mission?" she exclaimed.

"Our presence here only endangers this world. The Sith will no doubt come after us once they realize that the clones have failed to eliminate us." He turned to the two Padawans, who still looked stunned. "Nuvuti, Sleedo, your lives are about to become much more interesting". They stared blankly at him, not knowing what to do. Jarvik groaned inwardly, _These damn kids need to be told how to do everything._ He set his jaw and growled, "Nuvuti, keep a watch for any incoming traffic, especially for Republic Cruisers, and Sleedo, round up as many Astromechs as you can and get them onto the corvette. Ahsoka, come with me to the corvette, we need to prepare for launch and leave ASAP!" He was referring to the modified Corellian corvette, the Jedi Arrow, assigned to them, which to the untrained eye looked like an ordinary Corellian corvette (say like Bail Organa's) but was modified with neutroium hull plating, enhanced sublight and hyperdrive systems and an impressive weapons and deflector shielding upgrade that made it a deadly war vessel in its own right. Nevertheless it would be no match for a fleet of Republic heavy cruisers, and he had no doubt that such a fleet was already on its way to Obroa Skai. Oh, and he had no crew to man the massive corvette. He could only hope that Sleedo would be able to find enough Astromechs to run the ship, otherwise it would be a very short trip.

Jarvik and Ahsoka boarded the ship and found that there were a few clone troopers guarding it. They were easily dispatched. Much to their relief they discovered that the ship was fueled, stocked up and ready for space flight. Sleedo arrived with 100 Astromechs, all whirring and beeping while they followed him. Jarvik thought about asking where he had found so many droids on such short notice, but decided to let it go for now. Instead he reached for his communicator with the intent of calling Nuvuti. Turns out she called him at that very instant.

"Master, an entire fleet has just dropped out of hyperspace. They should be in orbit in 20 minutes. Oh, and they have 5 of the new Mark IV cruisers". ' _We can't outrun Mark IVs'_ The Jedi Master thought to himself, ' _We're in trouble'_. "Nuvuti, get your Twi'lek keister over here now unless you want to stay behind and give the arriving force a tour of the library".

"I'm already on my way Master". She arrived in less than a minute.

The four Jedi entered the bridge and Jarvik barked "Ahsoka, you drive; hopefully you learned a few tricks from Skywalker, we're going to need them. Sleedo, you take starboard defenses, Nuvuti you take port and I will take aft. Ahsoka, get us out of here now!"

Ahsoka was a step ahead of him, having already initiated the prelaunch sequence. As she pulled back on the yoke the massive corvette became airborne and then went into a steep climb to exit the atmosphere, its engine roaring at maximum thrust. At this point the invading fleet was close enough to see the corvette exit the atmosphere and break orbit. As Jarvik had hoped the fleet focused its attention on them, ignoring the defenseless world of Obroa Skai. And as unfortunately expected the Mark IV cruisers were gaining on them. There was no hope of escape. Not even hyperspace would provide refuge from the chasing pack. They would be able to track them and even overtake them in hyperspace.

"Ahsoka, how long until they are in weapons range?" After a brief pause she muttered "Two minutes". Jarvik knew that they would be blasted out of the sky. The Sith were not interested in taking Jedi prisoners. At this point there was nothing left but to take a leap of faith.

"Ahsoka, plot a hyperspace course into the Ruushuu Quasar."

"WHAAAT!? Do you want us to get killed? Why not fight back? At least we might take some of them down with us"

"Ahsoka, you have to trust me on this one. I'll explain more later on, but I learned during a propulsion conference two months ago (what else was I supposed to do to alleviate the boredom?) that if you jump into a Quasar while in hyperspace that a wormhole will open. We will be able to escape and they will think we died."

"Ok" Ahsoka replied sotto voce, unconvinced of his explanation, while entering the coordinates in the Nav Computer. "But I have a bad feeling about this". The Mark IVs had caught up with the Jedi Arrow and had launched a barrage of Proton torpedoes. Just as Ahsoka was about to launch into hyperspace one of the torpedoes struck the Jedi Arrow. The corvette's upgraded shields kept the torpedo's antimatter safely away from the hull, but were unable to dissipate all the antimatter before the jump into hyperspace. As the Jedi Arrow entered the Quasar moments later they saw the expected wormhole open. What happened next they did not expect. The antimatter on the shields was affecting the wormhole which became more than a run of the mill singularity. There was a blast of energy around them with a blinding flash and they all lost consciousness.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Ahsoka was the first to regain consciousness. The bridge was dark, except for the emergency lighting system. Also she thought that the bridge looked odd, the colors seemed unnatural. Jarvik and the Padawans were starting to wake.

"Status?" Jarvik inquired in a weak voice.

"All systems are offline. Only emergency systems are in place" Ahsoka replied.

Attempting to force himself into wakefulness, Jarvik ordered, "We need to get them back online. We're blind and defenseless. Where are the astromechs?". At that moment the lights came back on.

"They're already making repairs Master," replied Sleedo. "Propulsion should be back online in a moment."

"Good. I hate drifting. How long have we been out?"

Nuvuti piped up. "Only a few minutes Master. The Chronometer did not malfunction." She paused. "Master, why does everything look so strange, things almost look surreal.."

"I know what you mean, let's get the Arrow ready for duty. First order of business is to find out where we came out of the wormhole. Then ….". Jarvik was interrupted by the sound of an explosion on the hull. "Now what?" he moaned as went to one of the viewing ports on the bridge. He definitely did not expect to find what he saw. "It appears that we are in high orbit around a blue planet. And we are in the middle of some sort of battle…" Another explosion interrupted him. "Are deflectors holding?"

Nuvuti replied "No deflectors. Whatever they are shooting us with, it's bouncing right off the neutronium hull".

"Thank the Force for small favors, now let's this ship back online. And nobody say another word about how things look strange until then." Jarvik ordered, wondering what had actually happened to them and wondering himself why everything, including his crew, looked odd.

 _ **-(-)-**_

For those who don't know what a Corellian corvette is, it's the model of space ship that Princess Leia is in during the opening scene in Star Wars IV: A New Hope.

You can find it on Wikipedia using the keywords: corellian corvette


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – On a little blue planet called Earth

This was turning out to be an awful day for the Titans. But it didn't start out that way. There was a great deal going on in Titans Tower, and if that morning was any indication, it was going to be another wonderful day in Jump City.

They still called themselves the "Teen Titans" since Garfield and Raven were still 19 years old. Dick had gotten rid of his Robin costume once Batman took on a new sidekick and given him the title of Robin, which was fine with Dick Grayson. Starfire thought he looked even more dashing as Nightwing. They had wed over a year ago. Cyborg had been able to upgrade his tech thanks to some generous help from Tony Stark. He could now fly and no longer had to worry about batteries as Stark had supplied Cyborg with one of his miniature Arc Reactors.

But the biggest news in the tower these days was Raven's and Garfield's impending wedding. It was hard to say how this came about, but the other three Titans, as well as the extended Titan family was convinced that it had to do with Garfield's sudden jump into maturity. Physically he hadn't grown all that much and was now barely taller than Raven. Looking back, the other Titans would say that they saw the first signs over two years ago, not long after Beast Boy was told by the revived Terra to forget about her. He was heartbroken for a second time, and his friends wondered if it was a wound that would ever heal. Raven was the only one who approached him at the time. Some think that she was moved by memories of when Beast Boy consoled her after her disastrous romance with Malchior, but she denied that was the case. The changeling appreciated her gesture and before anyone knew, something began to happen.

It happened slowly at first. Beast Boy was a little less annoying and Raven became a little less dark. They hung out more and more. At first it was small things, like sitting next to each other at the pizzeria. They would sit together quietly on the circular couch, she reading one of her huge, ancient books while he read a graphic novel. She encouraged him to move up, and she bought him a copy of The Hobbit, which to the other's surprise he read and even enjoyed. Nightwing and Cyborg would quietly speculate with each other if something was going on between the two chromatically unique Titans.

But the pattern was there, Garfield was her favorite. After tough battles the others noticed that she would always heal his wounds first. Then she played video games with him (especially Guitar Hero, at which she was unbeatable), but curiously she did not play games with Cyborg nor Robin/Nightwing.

The team was relieved that the pair seldom argued anymore, and thanked heaven for small favors, and either ignored or just failed to notice the other signs: they would go out for walks, coffee, lunch, dinner, movies, theater, you name it. But they never made any big deal about their outings. Not once was the word "date" ever used. Everyone thought they were just becoming best friends.

That was until one day Raven and Garfield suggest they all go out for a nice dinner, at a very posh (and vegetarian friendly) Italian café that was the talk of the town. Since they offered to pay for the meal no one objected.

They agreed to meet in the garage and ride in Cyborg's latest incarnation of the T-Car. They met at the agreed time. What caught their attention was that Raven was wearing her white cape and leotard, which she had not been seen in since Trigon's defeat years ago. She also was grinning, which they found very, incredibly –no, EXTREMELY odd. Beast boy was wearing his usual garb but had a look of mirth on his face that had them wondering what was going on. Finally Raven broke the silence :"C'mon. I'm starving. Let's get going!"

They all had a wonderful time at the restaurant. Raven even laughed at Garfield's jokes (which were actually funny for a change) and nothing exploded. At this point Nightwing couldn't stand it anymore."OK you two, what's going on? Is this some sort of prank? Raven, you never laugh at Beast Boy's jokes. I mean, you haven't rolled your eyes even once this evening. What gives?"

Raven and Garfield became quiet for a moment, and then looked at each other in a way that made Nightwing think to himself _You have GOT to be kidding me, no freaking way._ They turned to their friends and said in unison "We're engaged!" as Raven produced her hand sporting a dazzling ring. Needless to say there was much more celebrating the rest of that evening. Eventually Nightwing was able to stop saying "No way!"

Returning to the present Starfire, Bumblebee, Jynx and the other lady Titans were busy helping Raven with the final planning for the wedding. Starfire was especially ecstatic. It was going to be a wonderful day. And it was, until **they** arrived.

I always thought that it sucked that Cyborg couldn't fly. And before any complaints, yes Ironman is a Marvel Comics character. But so what? This is a crossover story after all.

And for all you BBXRae fans out there I have included the couple that succeeds romantically against all odds. Of course, I'm going to make things very difficult for them. The Dark Side has no use for romance after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – We do not come in peace.

It was about 11 AM when every alarm in the Tower started blaring. The titans dropped everything and congregated around Nightwing, who was already seated at the ops console. He had the worst frown on his face they had ever seen. "Richard, what is it?" Starfire asked her husband.

He replied, deadpan "The Gordanians have returned". Everyone was silent, for they knew why they were back. They came for their lost prize: Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran.

Finally, Cyborg broke the silence "How many ships?" Nightwing hesitated before answering "about 500". At this point Garfield freaked out "500 ships! What are we going to do? Star, can you call Tamaran for help?"

"It would take too long for them to arrive" Nightwing replied, and added "They aren't all heavy cruisers like the ship we encountered last time, most of them are smaller ships".

"But Earth has no planetary defense systems, which means we have to fight them, but with what, the T-Ship? We are so outnumbered that it's not funny" Beast Boy wailed.

Raven chimed in "Gar's right, we need a miracle".

The funny thing about miracles is that they happen when you least expect them. As the Titans stared at the Gordanian fleet on their giant view screen the miracle happened. A wormhole opened in space, like a giant kaleidoscope, and a large spaceship emerged from it. It appeared to be dead and was drifting in space. Raven uttered her trademark, deadpan "Whoa!" while her fiancé belted out his ubiquitous "Dude!" Nightwing asked his wife "Have you ever seen a ship like that one?" She gazed intently before simply saying "No, and I do not believe that it is Gordanian". Then at that moment, so as to remove all doubt, several of the smaller Gordanian scout ships approached the listing vessel and opened fire on it. The Titans were stunned that the Gordanians would do something as cowardly as to attack a disabled ship. They were even more amazed to see the Gordanians' salvos bounce off the listing ship as if they were ping pong balls.

"Cy!" Garfield cried out, "They can't even scratch them, what gives?" Cyborg's eyes were getting huge as his fingers danced across his computer keyboard. "Ya'll aren't going to believe this, but that ship's hull is made of pure neutronium". Only Starfire comprehended the significance of Cyborg's discovery. "That cannot be possible; there is not that much neutronium in the whole galaxy." She replied. "I hope they are friendly".

"So do I" added Raven.

Meanwhile, the lack of success by the scout ships had attracted the attention of the Gordanian flagship, which had altered course and was heading towards the still drifting alien ship. As it approached Cyborg detected an energy surge. "They're charging their particle weapon" he said. "I don't know if it will destroy that ship or not. It depends on how thick their armor is, and our sensors can't tell." Cyborg and the others held their collective breaths as the weapon discharged. The alien ship rocked, but other than a nasty scorch mark where the weapon had struck it appeared to be undamaged.

"Something's happening with that ship" Cyborg warned. "I'm seeing energy surges. I think their reactor is coming back online. Look, it's stopped drifting" It became apparent to the Titans that the ship was waking up.

"They have deflector shields up, my sensors can't see past them. And man, those are some deflector shields. I wonder what the Gordanians will do now?"

At this point the entire Gordanian fleet had surrounded the alien ship, including the 50 heavy cruisers with particle beam weapons. They opened a barrage of fire on the white alien ship. But its shields held firm, at least for the moment. Cyborg watched the battle intensely using his scanners. "I don't think that their deflectors can take this kind of beating for long." he told his mesmerized team mates who watched the one sided battle in abject wonder. It was obvious from Starfire's gaze that she simply couldn't believe what she was seeing. A single ship able to deflect a full out Gordanian assault. Inconceivable.

At that moment the crew of the mystery ship decided that they had had enough of the Gordanians. A barrage of what looked like lasers erupted from the now very active alien ship. The Gordanian scout ships were popping like soap bubbles and in less than 30 seconds 10 of the heavy cruisers were destroyed. The Gordanians knew that they had lost this battle and they began their retreat. But before engaging their FTL drives they sent a message straight to Titans tower. It was simple and straight to the point:

'We will return, and with help. The Princess will be ours.'

Then the remnant of the Gordanian fleet vanished as it jumped away. 

FTL = Faster Than Light

I decided that I would make Republic technology far more advanced than anything in the Titans universe, which makes sense because the Republic is tens of thousands of years old and there were space faring civilizations before it was formed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – We come in peace.

There was a stunned silence in the Titans ops room. The alien ship had stopped firing its deadly weapons and all was quiet. Garfield broke the silence "No one is that accurate, not even computers are that good, I don't think they missed a single shot".

"Actually, they missed 0.034% of their shots" Raven added, looking up from the ops console.

"How is that possible?" Garfield replied bewilderingly. "What gives?"

"I sense something very strange from that ship, I can't put my finger on it, but I do know that they are not hostile" the empath shared.

"I suppose then that we should contact them and thank them for saving our collective butts" Nightwing intoned.

"Sounds reasonable to me. I am accessing all known hailing frequencies" the tin man announced. For a while nothing happened, then there was a handshake and they had a visual on the screen. What they saw was not what they expected. On their giant view screen was a silver colored, humanoid looking robot, which began to speak in gibberish. Nightwing responded "I am sorry, but we cannot understand your language". After hearing the response the robots speech pattern began to quickly shift and change and after about 30 seconds it spoke in fluent English with a female voice and a midwestern US accent.

"Greetings. I am K4TC, human-cyborg relations. I see that you speak the American dialect of the English language"

"You speak English?" Garfield asked in surprise.

"I am fluent in over 9 million forms of verbal communication. I was able to assimilate your language by monitoring many of your audio transmissions over the wireless medium you call radio. I must say, it is a most primitive medium, unsuitable for interstellar communication"

"Are you the commander of your vessel?" Raven inquired in her deadpan monotone.

"Me, the captain of the Jedi Arrow, oh my goodness no, that could not be. I am merely an interpreter for the crew, as they do not speak any of your Earthly languages. They are most interested in making your acquaintance. Please allow me to introduce Jedi Master Jarvik Katarra, Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano and Padawans Sleedo Osma and Nuvuti Seik. The robot stepped aside while speaking in some alien tongue, revealing 4 hooded figures that approached the screen.

At this point Garfield stepped closer to Raven, standing behind her. He noticed that she gulped nervously and that the hairs on the back of her neck were standing. "Rae, is there something we should know about?"

"I'm not sure, but I am intimidated by those 4 people, a lot. They are very powerful Gar, and I'm having a hard time reading their emotions."

"See, I told you wearing your hood up all the time was bad for Titan PR. It scares people!"

"Shut up Gar, this isn't funny."

"Sorry Rae…. Any idea what a Jedi or a Padawan are?

"It rings a bell, maybe if I dig through my books I'll remember. You can help me, since you learned to speak and read Azarathian" she added, with a hint of pride in her voice. _Gar might not be a genius, but he was lot smarter and talented than most people gave him credit_ she thought to herself.

The taller figure approached the screen even more and lowered his hood. He looked human, as he had the skin color of a Mediterranean Caucasian human . He began to speak and the robot began to translate on the fly.

"Greetings. I am Jarvik Katarra, the commander of this vessel, the Jedi Arrow. I apologize for the battle with the alien fleet above your world. If these are your allies I apologize for the destruction involved, but they were beginning to overwhelm our defenses and we found ourselves left with no choice other than to fight back."

Nightwing interrupted "The Gordanians are no friends of ours. You performed a great favor for us by chasing them away. We must admit that your ship is awe inspiring."

The droid translated and Jarvik responded "We are happy to have been of service to you. Please allow me to introduce my crew. This is my second in command Ahsoka Tano".

Ahsoka stepped forward and lowered her hood. She was clearly not human. Starfire suddenly came alive, perhaps because she noticed that the alien girl also had orange skin. "Where are you from how did you get here what is your favorite color and will you be my friend?" her eyes glowed with excitement as the words burst joyfully from her lips at a pace the protocol droid could barely interpret.

"Well let's see, I'm originally from Shili, but my last home was on a planet called Obroa Skai, I arrived here on the Jedi Arrow through that wormhole, my favorite color is green (she said this while looking at Garfield, Raven was not pleased) and I'd love to be your friend."

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed, performing an aerial pirouette.

Jarvik chuckled. "Ahsoka could use more friends. She is so serious. She is the youngest Jedi Knight ever. She even has a nickname: The Teen Titan." Upon seeing the stunned looks on their faces he asked "Did I say something wrong?"

Cyborg replied "Not really, it's just that's what we are called: The Teen Titans. Oh, and what's a Jedi Knight?"

"It's hard to explain. The short version is that we are the keepers of peace and justice in our galaxy," _or at least we used to be_ Jarvik thought sadly to himself.

"That's kind of what we do" Garfield chimed in.

"The last two members of our crew are apprentices." The Padawans dropped their hoods to reveal their alien features.

"I can see that this introduction has been somewhat overwhelming for you. I propose that we meet in person. We should have individual translators in place which will allow us to converse with you without needing protocol droids" Would this be agreeable to you?"

The Titans huddled for a minute. Nightwing broke the huddle and turned to the screen. "We agree. Let's meet in two hours on the top of our tower."

"We look forward to meeting you, Titans. It appears that we have much in common"

For some reason I enjoy cutting Raven down. Other fan fic authors like to portray her as some sort of omnipotent being. So I decided to have her be intimidated by the Jedi. Makes her a little more human I think.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Is that a light saber in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?

The tower was abuzz. The mysterious visitors were due to arrive within 10 minutes. Raven and Garfield had been barricaded in her room trying to find a reference to the mysterious Jedi Knights in her vast collection of strange and to be quite frank, weird books. Garfield's command of Azarathian was pretty weak and he was struggling as he plowed through the books. His command of Azarathian would be considered high school level, that is if you could find a high school that taught it. As Garfield worked his way through Raven's books it dawned on him that he must really love her, as her collection of the weird and gruesome would scare away any normal guy. Fortunately for Garfield, he was not normal.

"Found it!" Raven shouted triumphantly.

"So what's the deal with the Jedi Knights" he asked.

"They are practitioners of the Force. They visited Azarath almost 1000 years ago. According to this ancient text their powers are most formidable. Of interest is their preferred combat weapon: the light saber"

"Uh Rae, in English please"

Raven did something she hadn't done in a while, at least not with Gar involved. She rolled her eyes.

"Remember when Robin left for a while to train with the True Master?"

"Yeah, we all dressed up like him. It was cool until he busted us when he came back"

She sighed. She clearly didn't love Gar because he was the sharpest knife in the drawer. He did have other redeeming qualities, however.

"Remember how Robin's martial arts skills improved. His explanation was that he learned to use the Chi when fighting. The Force is similar to the Chi, but much more powerful. The Jedi can summon the Force to perform all sorts of tasks. They can levitate massive objects, summon super human strength, see into the future, heal wounds, persuade the weak minded, etc. To many their powers appear to be magical, even though they are not. Remember their incredible aim in the battle? They used the Force."

"Whoa!"

"Light sabers are sword like weapons with blades composed of pure energy. They can slice through just about anything. They are master duelers with their sabers, which they also use to deflect attacks from convention weapons like guns and lasers. It also says here that not all practitioners of the force use their power for good. There are evil practitioners who draw upon the dark side of the Force. The masters are known as Sith Lords and their lower level apprentices are often called Dark Jedi"

Raven closed her book, appearing to be lost in thought.

Suddenly Garfield's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Rae, Rae!"

"What?

"They're just like Clash of the Planets!"

"Are you insane?"

"No, they really are, it's almost a one to one match. The Jedi are just like the Space Samurai!"

Raven regarded her fiancé very gravely. Then, in her best, old school, deadpan, monotone voice she said: "Garfield Mark Logan, you will not mention this to the Jedi, under any circumstances. Do you understand?"

"Sure Rae, but why?"

"If anyone is to share this insulting coincidence with the Jedi, I would prefer that it be Cyborg or Nightwing, and not you"

"But why babe?"

"Because I want you to still be alive on our wedding day, that's why. Anyway, it's time to head to the roof. The Jedi will be arriving soon. And don't call me babe, especially not in front of the Jedi."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven and Garfield were the last to reach the top of Titans tower, which was a little crowded due to all the visiting Titans as well as a few other dignitaries. Nightwing was wondering how Batman got word of this event and how he managed to arrive on time. Cyborg was gazing at the sky and was the first to see the shuttle, which gracefully approached the landing pad, raised its lower wings and landed. The four Jedi emerged from the rear of the shuttle, accompanied by K4TC. Various smaller droids that seemed to communicate via beeps and whistles emerged from the ship, and began to perform maintenance tasks.

Jarvik Katarra was an imposing looking man. He was about 2 meters tall. He would have been awe inspiring even if he had been a normal human being without power over the mysterious Force. But he also seemed to be very inviting and everyone seemed to relax in his presence. Raven wondered to herself if he might be using the Force to diffuse a stressful moment. Ahsoka Tano walked next to him, and they were followed by the two Jedi apprentices. Ahsoka was physically the opposite of Jarvik. She was petite, even smaller than Raven. She had a very intense look in her eyes. What really weirded Raven out was that she could not sense any emotions from the two Jedi. The apprentices, on the other hand, were a jumble of emotions. They were trying to control them, and to their credit they did far better than any of her team mates. But Raven was simply amazed that she could sense no emotions whatsoever from the two Jedi. This was a level of control that was far greater than anything she had ever accomplished.

Nightwing stepped forward. "I welcome you to Earth and to Jump City. I am Nightwing. These are my immediate team mates and my closest friends. Starfire is my wife. She hails from the planet Tamaran. Her people possess super human strength and the ability to fly. She can also launch bursts of energy from her body." He then introduced Cyborg. After him he moved onto Raven and Garfield. "This is our other couple, Raven and Garfield. We were in the middle of planning their wedding just before the Gordanians and your ship arrived. Garfield is a shape shifter and Raven is a sorceress."

"I am most pleased to meet Earth's Teen Titans" Jarvik replied. He then stopped and gave Raven and Garfield a second glance.

"Uh, is something wrong?" Beast Boy nervously asked.

"Don't mind Master Katarra" intoned Ahsoka. "He simply noticed that the Force is unusually strong with Garfield."

"Really?" Garfield piped up.

"Absolutely", Ahsoka continued. "Your shape shifting abilities are possible in part because you are what we call Force Sensitive"

"What about me?" Raven inquired, barely able to conceal the disappointment in her voice.

Jarvik replied "I cannot feel the Force in you at all, which is very strange as the Force flows through all living beings. But do not be alarmed. The Force has a different feel in this dimension. To be quite honest, we are still getting accustomed to this dimension. We have found it to be most unsettling."

Raven was alarmed by this news, and Garfield could tell. He very subtly took her hand and squeezed it the way he always did when she needed reassuring. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Raven, but she still had a sense of dread. Did this have something to do with her demonic heritage? Were the Jedi aware that she was a demoness?

Then Jarvik spoke to her. "You're Azarathian, aren't you?"

She nodded.

"Well, that explains it then. Azarathians do not possess midichlorians, which is why they are outside of the Force. They are one of the few known races with this condition."

Raven exhaled a very quiet sigh of relief. "Have you met any Azarathians before?" She asked.

"Indeed I have. Azarath was destroyed not too long ago by an inter-dimensional being named Trigon. Many Azarathians sought refuge in the Galactic Republic in our dimension. We later learned that Trigon was destroyed by his own daughter."

Raven gulped, still wondering of the Jedi knew exactly who she was. She was immensely grateful that her team mates kept mum about the fact the she was Trigon's daughter. She had no idea on how the Jedi would react if they learned the truth.

"I would love to visit your dimension and find some of my people. I thought that they were all lost when Azarath was destroyed."

At this point Jarvik became very somber. "I am afraid that won't be possible at this time. The truth is that we are in exile in your dimension. Our arch enemies, the Sith, have overthrown the Republic and replaced it with a Galactic Empire. They have killed most of the Jedi. The few who survived are like us, dispersed and in exile. While we hope to get in touch with the surviving Jedi, the truth is that if the Sith become aware of our survival they will come looking for us"

"What chance is there of that happening to you?" Nightwing asked.

"Almost none" replied Ahsoka "We employed a little known trick to jump into your dimension, a trick that faked our destruction while we escaped."

"Dude, that seems hopeless." Garfield moaned.

"Not at all" Nuvuti exclaimed. "There is a prophesy of one who will bring balance to the Force. We mistakenly assumed that a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker was the fulfillment of that prophesy. Instead he betrayed the Jedi and joined with the Sith. Let there be no doubt, the chosen one will appear and will destroy the Sith".

"Nuvuti speaks correctly. We need a place to regroup and complete our Padawans' training. When the time is right we will return to the Republic to help the Chosen One destroy the Sith" Ahsoka added.

"Master Katarra" Garfield asked cautiously. "Is it possible for others to be trained as Jedi Knights?"

"If you are asking about yourself, it would be very difficult. You are soon to be wed. The Jedi code does not allow us to have spouses or even mates." He paused. "But these are usual times, and during times such as these rules are often changed."

"Are you crazy?" Raven hissed into Garfield's ear. "Do you want to be on the run from the Sith? It's tough enough being a Titan"

Jarvik, fully aware of what was happening, smiled and added "In any case you would need your spouse's permission to join the Jedi order. But do not lose heart young changeling. You might still be able to learn a great deal about the Force, even if you never become a Jedi."

Once again Nightwing stepped into the fray. "We would be honored to have you stay with us. Perhaps you might wish to join us on some of our missions?"

"Thank you, Nightwing. We are most grateful for your hospitality. And we would be honored to join you in protecting your city."

Nightwing then proceeded to introduce the other Titans (East, South, North, etc.) to the Jedi, followed by the few Justice Leaguers who were also present.

 _ **-(-)-  
**_

If had to pick a Titan that would be Force sensitive, it would be the grass stain. The poor guy has always been the weakest of the Titans (except when the Beast emerges). So I had him conquer and tame the demoness and now he's a Jedi wannabe. Of course Raven might have a point. Sometimes being a Jedi Knight isn't all it's cracked up to be. I also couldn't resist mentioning the "Clash of the Planets" from the Control Freak episode where they all get sucked into the TV.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – Back to Normal, Sort of

It was two days after the aborted Gordanian attack. The Jedi had returned to the Jedi Arrow and had landed it on Titans Island, on the beach. Cyborg was in hog heaven, checking out all the advanced technology that the Jedi ship possessed. The repulsor lifts intrigued him the most. They allowed the corvette to silently hover and allowed atmospheric flight without the need for wings at any speed.

Inside the tower there was no evidence that the Gordanians had ever threatened the Titans or Starfire, unless one counted the four robed figures who tried to stay out of the way as the final preparations for the wedding were made. The happy day was only 4 days away. The organizers congratulated each other on how perfectly everything was going. Everyone was pleased, except for Raven.

Now Raven didn't have any issues with the ceremony (which both she and Garfield agreed would be a simple ceremony with a justice of the peace) or its location (the Tower roof). The reception, the catering were no problem. The honeymoon getaway had been chosen a while back. Raven was more than content to let her Titan "sisters" deal with all the issues. She had chosen to wear her white winter uniform (the one with pants), even though Starfire protested. She could only imagine what kind of dress Starfire would pick for her. Probably pink and plastered with Hello Kitty logos. _And_ _people think I'm creepy!_ She thought. But there was one problem.

The Titans and the Titans east were in the common room, along with Jedi. Sleedo and Nuvuti were watching a movie with Gar, Raven, Cyborg and the eastern Titans, while munching on some salty, crunchy snacks, while they drank some sort of sweet, fizzy drinks from a can. "Those drinks will rot your teeth!" Ahsoka admonished them, to no avail. Nightwing was seated at Ops console, briefing Jarvik and Ahsoka on their arch nemesis Slade when IT happened.

The movie went to a commercial break (the Padawans thought that it wasn't all that different from watching the Holo-Net, except for the fact that it was only 2D). The first commercial was for a diet cola, and was followed by a commercial for the local tabloid "What's Jumping in Jump City". This week's edition had an unflattering photo of Garfield and Raven on the front page. It had been taken a few months ago after a fierce battle with an army of Sladebots. Raven's leotard had been torn, revealing one of her breasts (which was blurred out in the tabloid). Both Raven and Gar were giving the camera death glares. The caption below the photo read "Heroes to wed! A marriage made in heaven… or hell?"

Raven jumped to her feet. "Those ungrateful jerks! We put our lives on the line to protect them, and this is how they thank us!" The giant view screen was engulfed in black energy and exploded.

Garfield was also on his feet. His face was a maelstrom of pure fury. Cyborg turned to him, desperately trying to calm him down. He was afraid that the Beast would make an appearance and kill the entire staff at the tabloid. "Yo B, calm down. It's just a stupid tabloid. Nobody believes that crap."

Meanwhile Starfire had embraced Raven and soothed her. "Cyborg is right Raven, everyone knows that 'What's jumping' only publishes lies."

Raven seethed. "Why can't they respect our privacy? Is it really too much to ask? And how did they find out?"

"Someone we hired or contracted with for the wedding probably spilled the beans, no doubt for a hefty bribe" Bumblebee growled. "If I find out who did it they will regret ever being born".

Sleedo quietly approached Raven and Gar, and whispered to them "If you wish, I can make them pay for what they did…."

"You will do no such thing!" Ahsoka barked at Sleedo.

"Come on Ahsoka, let me a prank them!"

"Your pranks always seem to involve explosives and noxious gasses" the Togrutan replied, while giving the Rodian Padawan an icy glare.

"I just wanted to help…." the green padawan sighed.

Garfield turned to Sleedo "Dude. Thanks for the offer to help. We green guys have to stick together, you know."

"I have noticed that there are no other green sentients on this world. Is it true that you can morph into any creature? Can you morph into a Rodian?"

"I can morph in to any animal; I can't morph into another human form, because I already am human. But I don't see why I couldn't morph into a Rodian". As he said that Garfield turned into a Perfect twin of Sleedo.

"That is so cool!" shouted Sleedo, drawing everyone's attention. Gar, being the attention hog that he is, quickly morphed into green duplicates of Nuvuti, then Ahsoka, followed by Starfire, then back into himself. Suddenly a mischievous grin appeared on his face and he began to morph once again. But before he could complete his transformation he snapped back to his normal self.

"I guess I can't do Raven because she is part human"

"Thank Azar! That would have been the epitome of disturbing. Had you succeeded I wouldn't have been able to consummate our marriage with you on our wedding night."

"Uh, good thing I failed, right?" Gar replied sheepishly.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The wedding day arrived and everything went off without a hitch. Sleedo and Nuvuti pulled two Jedi fighters out of the Jedi Arrow and made sure that the paparazzi were kept away at a safe distance.

When Raven and Gar exchanged their vows Starfire could no longer contain herself and wept tears of joy. They promised their unending love, devotion and commitment to each other and in their case no one doubted the words "till death do you part".

The reception was a grand affair. Bumblebee never did discover who the snitch was, but for some reason she suspected the Baker, who delivered a much better cake than what was originally ordered. She decided to let it go.

During the dance portion of the reception Nightwing excused himself from his wife and approached the Jedi, who were busy taking in the trappings of a North American style wedding. Ahsoka found it odd that Raven and Garfield would shove cake into each other's mouths, but to be fair she had seen much stranger wedding traditions in the Republic. _Are there still any joyful weddings back home?_ She wondered.

"Jarvik, Ahsoka, I wish to ask you something."

"Please proceed." replied Jarvik.

"Right. Where do I start? OK. On Earth it is traditional for a newlywed couple to go away on an extended trip after their wedding. Gar and Rae will be away for two weeks. We need someone to fill in for them while they are gone. Normally I would ask other Titans to cover for them, but at this time none of our affiliate teams can spare anyone. I was wondering if you might be interested in helping out. I only ask because I have a feeling that Slade is up to something."

"We would be honored ,Nightwing" Jarvik replied.

"Thanks, you have no idea what this means to me. And please take these". Robin handed them each a Titan communicator.

"Like you, the Titans also have a code. We place teamwork above all else. And we never kill, unless it is unavoidable. So far we have never had to take a life to protect Jump City, and hope to keep our record clean. Raven has told us a bit about your powers and I look forward to seeing you use them"

"We will abide by your code ." Ahsoka and Jarvik replied in unison.

"Another thing" Nightwing interjected "I understand that you cannot fly. I am the only Teen Titan without the gift of flight. I usually let my wife fly me to the crime scene or take my motorcycle if it's nearby. Do you have a mode of transport that you can use? Preferably a flying one"

"Sleedo, would you please move one of the speeders to the Titans garage, along with any required fuel and supplies for it." Jarvik said as he turned towards the Rodian.

"Yes Master. May I select the Nova 5000?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, yes, the 5000 will do just fine" Jarvik chuckled. The Nova 5000 was the latest and greatest air speeder on the market in Coruscant. It could hit supersonic speed without the need to close the canopy.

Nightwing thanked the Jedi once again and returned to the dance floor. He had not yet danced with Raven, who was chatting with Starfire and Jinx. "May I have a dance with my little sister?" he interrupted.

As the party began to unwind the Titans noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Logan were absent. Cyborg had built them their own apartment on the top floor, replacing two existing guest rooms. It was spacious, with its own bath, plus it was private and out of the way. Cyborg chuckled to himself. _They couldn't wait until everyone had left. Heck, I shouldn't complain. They did wait until they were married after all. Who would have thought that the green bean nad my little sis were so old fashioned?_

 _ **-(-)-**_

OK, the Jedi are now on board with Titans.

Will Slade show up? Will they kick his butt?

Tune in next time to find out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Slade's surprise

Raven and Garfield had departed the day before on their 2 week honeymoon. Nightwing had promised them that unless the world was about to end that he would not interrupt their escapade. He worried that he might not be able to keep that promise. He was worried about Slade. His only consolation was that if Slade tried anything he would be the recipient of a surprise. Four surprises actually, each one with its own bright light saber.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Slade had been keeping a close eye on the Titans for the past few months. He had been well aware of the upcoming wedding. _If they only knew that it was I who leaked the wedding to the tabloid. You're getting sloppier every day Robin. Oh wait; you have a new name now: Nightwing. Very catchy I must say._

Slade's train thought was interrupted when a knock out blonde approached him from behind and wrapped her arms around him. "So have the two losers left for their honeymoon yet?"

"They have." he replied.

"I'll never understand what he sees in her. I mean really, who in their right mind falls in love with a witch?"

"Now, now my dear, petty jealousy does not befit you"

"Jealous of that dull, gray skinned demoness? You have to be kidding me. That fact that he chose her shows that he's an even bigger loser. And why would I care anyway? I married you after all."

"Terra my dear, you are the best wife a man could ever hope for. But you have always been a poor liar. Somewhere deep inside you still have feelings for the green Titan. It is fortunate that I am not the jealous type."

Terra smirked at her husband.

"Nevertheless, with the chromatically challenged couple (author's note: I believe this is when I first coined the phrase) away for two weeks I think that we should pay the Titans a courtesy call. I am dying to meet those aliens that are boarding with them. How do you feel about a trip to the mall? If you ask me, the place is long overdue to be remodeled."

"And our newest generation of Sladebots might just provide them some motivation to get started. Just let me pick up some new shoes first" she laughed.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Later that day Nightwing and Starfire were staring out the windows in the Titan's common room. The view from the tower was the very definition of tranquility, and the couple was holding each other in tender embrace. It was too good to last, because the tower alarm went off.

By the time Cyborg and the 4 Jedi arrived at the ops station Nightwing had localized the disturbance.

"Yo Night, what is it?"

Nightwing turned to the team. "Slade, at the mall. He's unleashed hundreds of SladeBots, and they're destroying the place."

"The mall?" Cyborg moaned. "Since when does Slade rob the mall? Unless someone opened a store there that sells thermal blasters."

"No thefts as far as I can tell. I think that he is just leaving a calling card for us. Titans Go!"

Cyborg had previously explained some of Nightwing's mannerisms to Jarvik and Ahsoka, so they rushed to the garage with their Padawans in tow and jumped into the speeder. Ahsoka took the controls and they flew out of the garage at blinding speed. The 3 Titans had a head start on them but they quickly caught up.

As they travelled to their destination Jarvik pondered their new role: fighting super-villains. They really had no experience doing this, but how hard could it be? Just then something caught his eye. It was a giant humanoid that appeared to be made of permacrete. _This really is a strange dimension, can it get any weirder?_ His question was soon answered. Next to the permacrete monster stood another monster, this one appeared to be made of sludge. And it smelled like a sewer. _Next time don't ask_ , he reminded himself.

Suddenly his Titan communicator chimed. He opened it and saw Nightwing's face in the viewer. "Jarvik, continue on to the mall. Destroy as many SladeBots as you can. Once we take care of Cinderblock and Plasmus we will join you there."

"Acknowledged" Jarvik replied "We are now arriving at the battle zone."

As soon as the speeder touched down the four Jedi leaped from the vehicle like champagne corks escaping from a bottle. As soon as they entered the building they were struck by the mayhem. There were injured civilians everywhere and hundreds of droids firing energy weapons into the building's structure. Unless they stopped them soon the building would collapse, killing everyone inside.

The Jedi split up. Using the Force Ahsoka picked up what was left of an escalator and threw it at a group of SladeBots, destroying at least 20 of them. Sleedo and Nuvuti charged into a throng of droids, their light sabers ignited and ready for action. With a grace worthy of ballet dancers they swiftly glided between the droids, deftly slicing them in half. Jarvik stood between a platoon of droids and a group of cornered civilians, skillfully deflecting the laser blasts aimed at the civilians right back at the droids. Unfortunately, each fallen droid was immediately replaced by two equally deadly doppelgangers. Jarvik decided that enough was enough, and gave a slight gesture with his free hand. Almost instantly the droids began smoking and collapsed.

By this point most of the SladeBots had been destroyed, much to Slade and Terra's chagrin, as they watched from their vantage point in the mall's upper level. Terra turned to Slade and asked him "Shall I?" He nodded in the affirmative.

Terra shouted and a large segment of concrete that she was standing on ripped away and levitated and floated down to the four Jedi, who were finishing off the last SladeBots with help from the Titans who had just arrived.

"Just who are you supposed to be? Monk man and hoodie girl?" Terra laughed.

The three Titans stopped in their tracks and said her name in unison. "Terra?"

"Jarvik, Ahsoka, she's a Geomancer. Be careful!" Nightwing shouted.

Starfire flew up and began bombarding Terra with a volley of Star bolts. Terra laughed as she shielded herself with a floating slab of concrete that she had just torn from a wall.

"Starfire, I see that you are clueless as ever" Terra taunted her as she flung a pile of bricks at the Princess. One hit her in the head and she fell. Nightwing saw Nuvuti make a subtle gesture with her hand and Starfire stopped falling, as if caught by invisible hands.

Cyborg and Nightwing charged at Terra, who levitated away. Cyborg ignited his Stark Labs rockets and gave chase.

"So you can fly now, how nice. Let's see you dodge this." Terra's eyes glowed yellow and hundreds of tiles broke away from a wall, shattering into thousands of razor sharp pieces, all flying towards Cyborg as a large cloud. Cyborg screamed in pain as the shards hit his few exposed flesh areas. He crashed into a wall and did not move. Sleedo ran to him and attended his wounds.

Jarvik now understood why the Titans considered the Geomancer to be so dangerous. _I have to stop her now, but without killing her._

Jarvik turned to face Terra and raised his left hand towards her.

"What's that monk man, are you waving goodbye? I hope not because you're next!"

Terra raised her arms and hers eyes began to glow. At that moment what appeared to be bolts of lightning leaped from Jarvik's fingers, engulfing Terra's body. Terra screamed in agonizing pain for a few seconds and lost consciousness. Nightwing and Starfire went bug eyed after witnessing Jarvik's display of raw power.

Nightwing approached Jarvik "What was that?!"

Terra regained consciousness. She heard her husband's voice in her earpiece. "Terra! Retreat! Now!"

She didn't need to be told twice. She jumped onto a piece of concrete and flew away as fast as she could.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Shocked? I hope you are!

Terra's back!  
And she's married to Slade!

What's next?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 -Aftermath

Ahsoka, Nuvuti and Sleedo stared at Jarvik in total and abject horror. Nightwing repeated his question "What WAS that?!"

Finally Ahsoka spoke up "That was Sith Lightning"

"Force lightning" corrected Jarvik.

"Don't give me that nonsense!" Ahsoka howled. "The lightning can only be conjured by using the Dark Side of the Force".

"Did you feel a Dark Side tremor in the Force?" Jarvik asked calmly.

"No, but that doesn't mean you didn't use it" Ahsoka said accusingly.

"Ahsoka, I am not the only Jedi who can conjure the lightning. There are other Masters who can do it."

"Like Count Dooku?"

Jarvik glared at the young Jedi.

"This is pointless, you'll never understand. End of discussion"

Ahsoka returned his glare.

"The Council was right concerning you!"

The Titans were stunned to witness such an exchange between the two Jedi. Nightwing approached Ahsoka.

"Is everything OK?"

"I'm not sure." Ahsoka replied.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing was tempted to call Raven to ask her for advice. But he had promised not to call. Then, as if on cue, his communicator chimed. He flipped it open to see Raven and Gar's concerned faces.

"You look awful." Raven remarked.

"We just saw on that Slade demolished the Jump City Shopping Center." Gar added.

"Is everyone OK? What happened?" Raven asked.

"You don't want to know." Nightwing replied "We have things under control. Forget about it and enjoy your honeymoon." He flipped his communicator shut. Then he remembered that Cyborg had been seriously wounded by Terra. _Maybe I should call Raven back and ask her to teleport back home to heal Cy_.

He turned and saw his bionic team mate sitting up, chatting with Sleedo. The cuts on his face and upper arms didn't look all that bad.

"Cy, are you OK? For a moment there I thought that Terra had seriously injured you…"

"She did" Cyborg interjected. "But Sleedo applied this medicine to my wounds called Bacta. It heals wounds even faster than Raven's powers".

Nightwing was getting tired of hearing how wonderful the Jedi were. But he was grateful that Sleedo had attended to Cyborg. "Thanks Sleedo. I was very worried about Cyborg." The Padawan nodded back at him.

Nightwing noticed that the rescue crews were arriving and taking over the recovery efforts.

"Let's go home" he told his now hybrid team.

 _ **-(-)-**_

As Terra and Slade returned to their lair, their condition could at best be described as "shell shocked".

"What the hell happened back there? Who were those people?" Terra moaned.

"You mean 'monk man' and 'hoodie girl'?" Slade hissed.

"No, I was asking about the hunky guy at the Panda Express. Who were those four people? I've never seen anyone like them. Are they Justice League?"

Slade cracked his knuckles. "I think I know who they are."

"Would you mind sharing?"

"Remember how I served Trigon after I fell into your lovely lava pit?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, there were some side benefits to working for the big red guy. I got to do some traveling on company time. As into other dimensions. I had a lot of spare time before Raven's unforgettable birthday came up. In one dimension I learned about an order of warriors known as the Jedi Knights. I am certain that the four we saw at the shopping center were Jedi."

Slade removed his mask and grinned.

"Uh, dear, those Jedi kicked our asses worse than the Titans ever did before. That lightning that came out of his hand, it felt like it was sucking the life right out of my body. Why are you so happy?"

"I know someone who will pay dearly to learn of their whereabouts, and maybe eliminate the Titans in the process."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely"

Terra took her husband's hand. "Shall we adjourn to our bedroom to celebrate our good fortune" she said seductively with an evil grin on her face.

"I told you that you would never regret dumping the green moron."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven and Gar stared at the now blank screen on Raven's communicator.

Gar spoke first "I don't believe a word he said."

"Same here." she replied "He's hiding something, I can feel it."

Gar moved to his laptop PC, to search for more news regarding the disaster back home.

"Rae, come here, you need to see this"

Raven walked over to where Gar was sitting and glanced over his shoulder at the screen. It had a picture of Jarvik with what appeared to be lightning coming out of his left hand while he held a purple bladed light saber in his right hand. The lightning was engulfing a tall, shapely blonde woman who was levitating on a rock. It was obvious that she was in excruciating pain.

"Terra?!" she exclaimed.

"That's what it looks like. Boy, she sure has changed since the last time I saw her."

"Don't get any bright ideas, Romeo" Raven frowned.

"You realize that this means she's back with Slade."

Raven sighed. _Why does everything bad happen when it's our turn to have a good time?_

"Yes. Now what do we do?"

Gar pondered his reply carefully. "We stay here and try not to think about it. The latest news article says that Slade's forces were routed. It sounds like he wasn't expecting the Jedi. There's no doubt that he will regroup and strike again, but that should take some time. By then we'll be home."

"Since when are you so smart?"

"I'm not just a pretty green face, you know?" he chuckled. "Let's go to the beach and watch the sunset. We can go dancing later and after that … I have some green sugar for you."

She smiled seductively as she caressed his ear. "You drive a tough bargain stranger."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Monk man and hoodie girl? Sometimes I just kill myself.

Is Jarvik turning to the Dark Side?

And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my promise to make Raven and Gar's life difficult. Beware the Dark Side of the Force!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 –In Palpatine's Court

Terra slowly woke up. It was almost noon. Her husband lay next to her, his mask resting on his night stand. _He isn't the most handsome guy in the world, but he sure is a tiger in the sack_ she thought to herself. Slade stirred and woke up. He instinctively reached for his mask and put it on.

"You know that you don't need to wear that when it's just the two of us." she purred.

"It's part of who I am."

"So I should consider myself lucky that you take it off when we 'celebrate', right?"

"There is a place and time for everything, my dear."

Terra snorted. "Sure. Speaking of which, when are you going to tell me how are we going to contact this friend of yours?"

"We will travel to him. And he isn't my friend. Truth be told, he has no friends. He's more of a benefactor."

"Sounds a bit like you." Terra teased him.

"Not so. He doesn't have a spouse, mate or even a lover."

"He sounds like a barrel of fun. Who is he?"

"He is a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious. I met him when I briefly served as Trigon's emissary to the Sith. I offered him an alliance with Trigon, which he politely declined. As an act of good faith he presented me with a starship. Since Trigon had no need for a starship, I kept it for myself."

"You have a starship? What other surprises have you kept from me?"

"Remember the Ring of Azar I told you about?"

"The one you gave to Starfire so she could fight Trigon?" she replied.

"Correct. I have more of them. Different rings have different powers. One of them grants the power to jump between dimensions."

"So how can this Darth Sidious help us?"

"When I met him he was plotting to overthrow that Galactic Republic that existed in his dimension. The Jedi at the time were a misguided group of peace keepers who kept the Republic safe."

"Ugh! You mean they are a Galactic version of the Titans?"

"Somewhat. As you experienced firsthand yesterday, they are quite formidable. Part of Sidious' plot to over throw the Republic was to eliminate the Jedi. I believe that these four Jedi are exiled here in our dimension. Their ship is in perfect condition, I've scanned it very thoroughly . There is nothing to prevent them from returning to their original dimension. This must mean that Sidious was successful and conquered his galaxy. They basically ran for their lives."

"Why would he care about four Jedi if he took over an entire Galaxy? Are they a threat?"

"They are, the Jedi have always been the enemies of the Sith. They both are practitioners of the Force, and seek to destroy each other. Much like me Palpatine is an obsessed man, Terra. He won't rest until every Jedi is either dead or has pledged allegiance to him and the Dark Side of the Force."

"Sounds ominous. So when do we leave?"

"This evening. Pack your bags. We might be gone for a while."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Two weeks had elapsed. Gar and Raven returned from their honeymoon. Neither had a tan to show off, since both lacked melanin and relied on other compounds to provide them with their green and gray skin pigmentations. Nevertheless both seemed to glow. Married life was already suiting them quite well.

As soon as they unpacked they were treated to a welcome home dinner prepared by Cyborg, which the Jedi were invited to join. To everyone's amazement, Cyborg prepared an all vegetarian feast, including eggplant parmesan, pasta primavera and even a few vegan dishes as well. He even produced a few bottles of Asti Spumante to accompany the huge Tiramisu he served for dessert. After tasting her flute of Spumante, Ahsoka gave the underage Padawans a look that they understood immediately: No Asti for you. _It's not fair_ , Sleedo thought to himself. _Ahsoka isn't 18 yet and she can have some_. They were allowed second helpings of Tiramisu, however, which they washed down with something called a 'Cappucino'. _I could get used to Earth food_ , Nuvuti thought as she finished her second helping of Tiramisu.

Once the meal was consumed and the light conversation was over, Nightwing began to debrief Raven and Garfield on what had happened at the mall. There was little new information, as they had followed the aftermath of the incident via various internet news outlets. And just as Garfield had predicted, Slade had been absent since the attack.

Once the debriefing was over, Gar turned to Raven "Rae, is it me, or are there bad vibes between Jarvik and Ahsoka?"

"It's not you. Until now they have been able to completely hide their emotions from me, but not since we returned. I am sensing anger in Jarvik and distrust in Ahsoka. Something has happened between them…"

Then, as if on cue, Ahsoka walked up to them. "I wish to speak with both of you, in private, if possible."

"Of course" Raven replied "Come with us."

Ahsoka followed Raven and Gar to their new top floor apartment. Cyborg had furbished it with the latest security and eavesdropping protections in the known world.

Gar broke the silence. "You can speak with confidence. This is probably the most secure room in the whole world."

 _Since when does he talk like that?_ Raven thought to herself. She heard Knowledge pipe up in the back of her mind _He just keeps getting better and better, right?_ Raven silenced her emotions and the other parts of her mind, instead focusing on what Ahsoka was about to share with them.

"Raven, you may have noticed that Jarvik and I are having a problem with each other."

"Heck, I noticed, and I'm not an empath like Raven." BB piped up.

Ahsoka dropped her head, and then raised it again, once again facing the newlyweds.

"Jarvik used a Force power at the shopping center that is associated with the Sith."

"You mean the energy that poured from his fingers?" Raven asked.

"Yes. We Jedi call it 'Sith Lightning'. It is perhaps one of the deadliest uses of the Force. I could tell that Jarvik did not apply it with full power on the Geomancer, since she survived."

"What does this mean to us?" Raven continued. "Why are you sharing this with us and not with Nightwing? He is our leader after all."

"I fear that Jarvik has been seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. If this is true we might have to expel him from Titan's Tower, as he could become dangerous."

"I understand your concern, but once again, why not inform Nightwing?"

"It concerns Garfield. I am afraid that if we expel Jarvik that he will take Garfield as his Dark Force apprentice."

"And what if I don't accept his offer?"

"Then he would kill you." Ahsoka replied in a grim tone.

Raven and Garfield exchanged worried looks. Gar saw fear in her eyes.

"So what can we do?" he added.

"I will train you as a Jedi myself." Ahsoka offered. "Between the four of us and the Titans we should be able keep Jarvik at bay."

"Really, you will train me?" Gar replied, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice.

"Yes, but I will need Raven's permission."

"You have it." Raven offered.

"Before I accept you permission, let me explain why I need it."

Ahsoka paused , looking even more grim, then continued.

"The bond between a Master and a Padawan learner is often described as 'intimate'."

"What?" Raven growled.

Ahsoka thought she saw Raven's eyes briefly glow red and split into two pairs of eyes.

"Oh no, nothing like that" she clarified. "It's more like an emotional bond. A good Master/Padawan pair can almost read each other's thoughts. It is a form of mental intimacy usually only found in married couples."

Raven calmed down. "Thanks for clarifying. But to be honest, I'm still not all that comfortable with what you just told me. I now understand why you need my permission."

"Dot not worry, Raven, I will not steal your husband from you. When I was granted the rank of Knight I had to take a vow of celibacy, and unlike my old Master I intend to honor that vow. Also, Gar's training will be expedited. I hope to accomplish in months what normally takes years to complete. Our bond will be superficial at best."

"Uh, I won't have to take that vow, will I?" Gar asked.

"No. First of all, I cannot confer on you the rank of Jedi Knight. Only a Master can do that. Secondly, you are already married and Raven's right to your body trumps the Jedi Code."

"I thought Jarvik said that you had to be single to be a Jedi" Raven asked.

"Garfield's membership in the order would be valid, but illicit."

"Meaning?" Raven continued.

"He would not be allowed to appear before the Jedi Council and could never be granted the rank of Knight orMaster. Since there is no longer a Jedi Council, the point is moot. He would be a defacto Jedi Knight. No ifs, ands or buts. That is if we could find a Master agreeable to granting him the rank itself."

Raven sat down on the couch in the apartment living room, her eyes closed, deep in thought. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and looked up at Ahsoka. "You have my consent".

Gar locked yes with Ahsoka. "So, you took a vow of celibacy?"

"Yes." She nodded sadly.

"That blows, so you've never had a boyfriend?" He remarked, earning himself an elbowing from his wife, along with a mild glare.

"Actually … I … kind of had a boyfriend."

"You did?" Raven asked as she sat up straight.

Ashsoka blushed . "All we ever was kiss, once … his name is Lux Bonteri."

"Are you still in touch with him?"

Ahsoka slowly shook her head. "No … it would have never worked. He's married now, and is a Senator."

"I'm sorry to hear that." The sorceress replied in her monotone.

"It was probably for the best." Ahsoka murmured.

 _ **-(-)-**_

A dazzling wormhole appeared near Naboo, close enough to be seen with the naked eye from the planet's surface. A sleek, silver hulled ship emerged. It was Nubian in design, a near twin of the ship that years earlier had served as a getaway vessel for Queen Amidala, Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi. This time the passenger list was different.

Slade relaxed at the controls while Terra took in the view of nearby Naboo.

"So what do we do now?" Terra asked.

"We wait for them to come to us".

Terra noticed that reality looked different in this dimension, as Slade had told her it would. She walked to the rest room and looked at her reflection in the mirror. _This is going to take some getting used to_ , she thought.

"Who?" She called from the lav.

"An imperial ship of course. You don't think that our grand entrance into this dimension went unnoticed, do you?"

Just as Slade finished speaking a giant space craft dropped out of hyperspace, hovering over them. It was a Venator class Star Destroyer. It was over 1000 meters long and even Terra could tell that it dwarfed the corvette parked in front of Titans Tower.

Suddenly they received a hail from the Star destroyer. "Nubian vessel, your transponder code has expired. Identify yourself immediately."

"This is Ambassador Slade Wilson from the Trigonic Hegemony. I seek an audience with the Imperial government."

"Transmit your diplomatic code immediately." Slade keyed in a code on his console.

"Code received. Stand by." the voice ordered.

After a couple of minutes the voice returned. "Your code is valid. Stand by while we contact central command."

This time almost an hour elapsed. Terra was getting nervous.

"Patience, my dear, I'm sure the Dark Lord, or as he is known to the masses, Emperor Palpatine, is curious regarding our arrival."

"What's taking so long?"

"It's just chain of command, Terra. Be patient."

At that moment the comm speaker came back to life. "Welcome back Ambassador. The Emperor sends you his personal greetings. We are instructed to bring you and your vessel to Coruscant. We will guide you into the main docking bay with tractor beams, so please idle your engines. Commander Tennyson will be there to greet you".

Slade flipped a switch. "Acknowledged. Engines are now off line."

Slade and Terra felt the tractor beam engage their vessel and gently guide it into the massive docking bay. Once the docking bay was sealed and pressurized they saw an honor guard approach their vessel.

"Let's not keep our hosts waiting" Slade said as he lowered the loading ramp.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 –The Force is with him

"Ahsoka, what's going to happen once Jarvik finds out that you're training me?" Gar asked.

"We will tell him that you approached me and asked me to train you. Hopefully this will buy us time before he turns completely to the Dark Side".

"You seem pretty convinced that outcome is inevitable. Are you sure?" Raven asked.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, deep in concentration. "It's hard to see the future. It's always in motion. But I do see the Dark Side everywhere!"

"So, better safe than sorry, huh?" Gar added.

"I suppose you could put it that way." Ahsoka agreed.

"So when do I start?"

"We can begin now. First I shall teach you to meditate. Through meditation you will be able to commune with the Force. Once you can do that, you will learn to manipulate the Force. These will of course be simple exercises at first"

"Hey no problem, Raven taught me to meditate a long time ago. We meditate together every day."

A small smile appeared on the Jedi's face. "Wonderful! Let's begin then."

Ahsoka knelt on her knees with her palms resting on her thighs. This was different from the Lotus position that Raven had taught him, but he imitated Ahsoka without question.

"Close your eyes and focus on something for which you have strong feelings."

"Huh?"

"We commune with the force through our feelings. Positive feelings draw in the light side of the Force, while negative feelings are associated with the dark side. Find something that brings out positive feelings."

"Is love a positive feeling?" He asked in an unsure tone.

"All positive feelings have their root in love." Ahsoka answered.

Raven was watching all this with a jaundiced eye. Everything that Ahsoka was teaching Gar about meditation was diametrically opposite of what the Monks of Azarath had taught her.

"Have you found your focus?"

Garfield had indeed. It was Raven. "Yes, I have."

"Reach out with your feelings."

Garfield saw Raven in his mind's eye. He then summoned all his love for her and reached out to the mental Raven.

Raven felt a wave of warmth flow throughout her body. She almost cried out, but stifled her reaction to not interrupt Gar's concentration. She looked at him. He appeared to be in a trance like state.

"What do you feel"? Ahsoka asked.

"Like a river is flowing through me."

"Excellent, now tell the river to go to the object."

"I am" Gar replied, and then he moaned, feeling the Force flow through him even stronger than before.

Raven was so absorbed watching her husband commune with the Force that she was unaware that she was slowly levitating off the floor and was now 3 feet in the air. Ahsoka did notice and looked up at Raven, who was suddenly aware that she was levitating, but not under her own power. She gasped.

Her gasp broke Garfield's concentration, and the Force ceased to flow through him. He opened his eyes just in time to see Raven fall and land on her behind on the deep pile carpet in their living room.

"Gar, did you do that?" Raven shrieked in surprise.

"That was wonderful Garfield!" Ahsoka beamed. "I couldn't levitate anything during my first six months as a Padawan"

"Dude! That was awesome! Oh, Rave, sorry about dropping you like that."

Don't worry about it. The carpet is very plush. Cyborg wasn't kidding when he said that he spared no expense furnishing our apartment."

Ahsoka grabbed a throw pillow from the couch. "Gar, reach out with your hand and use your feelings to snatch the pillow from me."

Gar reached out and "felt" the pillow. It leaped out of Ahsoka's grip right into Gar's hand. Raven's eyes were wide open in shock.

Gar then picked up the other throw pillows and tossed them into the air. He made a circular motion with his hand and they began to fly around him, like planets orbiting a star. He giggled in delight.

At this point Ahsoka joined Raven as a member of the slack jawed club. Gar then gestured at the couch. The pillows flew to the couch and landed in a nice arrangement.

"Sweet!" Gar exclaimed.

"I think you're ready for the next lesson" said a stunned Ahsoka.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Slade and Terra were escorted into the Emperor's throne room by two guards shrouded in red robes, armed with strange looking pikes. The Emperor was seated at his high tech throne. At his right stood a man dressed in black who wore a black helmet and a grotesque face mask. The man sounded like he was in an iron lung, his deep and exaggerated breaths could clearly be heard across the room. There were several more red guards around the Emperor, their features hidden behind their ominous looking helmets.

The guards led Slade and Terra towards the throne, and stopped 5 meters from it.

Slade whispered to Terra "Kneel" as he dropped to one knee. Terra did not need to be told twice.

The Emperor rose, with a grin on his face. "Rise my friends."

Slade rose and Terra followed suit. He again whispered "Bow" and they bowed together.

"What brings you here my friend? It can't be Trigon's business, as he was destroyed."

"I'm having a Jedi problem on my home world."

That definitely caught Palpatine's attention.

"Do you know who they are?"

"I do not know their names, but I can show you who they are." Slade said as he pulled a holoprojector out of his pocket and turned it on. It displayed a 3D image of the four Jedi at the shopping center battle.

"So that's where Master Katarra disappeared to. Lord Vader, come look who else is there."

As Vader approached he instantly recognized the seconds Jedi.

"It's your former Padawan, Ahsoka Tano." The Emperor said gleefully.

"Indeed it is." replied Vader.

The Emperor smiled and paused. "And who is this lovely young lady you have brought with you?"

"This is my wife, Terra." Slade replied.

Terra felt her gut wrench. She could feel the evil emanate from the Emperor. _I wish I had stayed home._ She thought miserably.

"Now, now my dear, you have nothing to be afraid of. You are perfectly safe here. And it would have been so boring had you stayed home." He smiled wickedly at Terra as she realized in horror that the Emperor could read her mind like an open book.

Palpatine then turned once again to face Slade "I would be delighted to help you with your Jedi problem Mr. Wilson" he then turned to Vader "Lord Vader, arrange for an expedition to retrieve the four Jedi. Select someone … special to lead it. Also, contact Sienar Design Systems. Tell them that I want them to expedite the completion of the new Star Destroyer equipped with the prototype inter-dimensional jump drives."

"Yes, my master, I will see to it immediately." Vader then left the room.

"I expect that it will be several weeks until the ship and crew are ready for departure. Until then, consider yourselves as my personal guests. I will assign an escort for you. There is much to see and do on Coruscant. Now if you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."

Slade and Terra bowed. "You are most generous my Lord. We both thank you." After which they were escorted out of the Throne room.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Vader hated how the Emperor had this obsession with collecting Jedi and turning them to the Dark Side. Every time the Emperor was able to turn a Jedi Master to the Dark Side, it was just one more backstabber who coveted his position as the Sith apprentice. Vader decided that he didn't want the four Jedi captured and returned to Coruscant. He wanted them eliminated. He knew that he was doing Ahsoka a favor by doing this. She would never turn to the dark side, and Palpatine would have her die a slow and painful death. Yes, he would be doing her a favor by allowing her a quick death. It was unfortunate that Snips was found, Vader still felt some affection for his former apprentice, but there was no other way to deal with her, as much as it pained him.

Vader knew who would be the perfect lead for the expedition. Someone who was ruthless and merciless, a loose cannon who shoots first and asks questions later. Someone who would kill the four Jedi if they didn't surrender. Sure, she might destroy Wilson's home world in the process, but so what? It was just some primitive back water. No one would miss it.

It was decided. He would send Asajj Ventress.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12–The calm before the storm

It was another pleasant team dinner in the tower. This time it was Raven and Garfield's turn to prepare the meal. Fortunately for all present,except perhaps Starfire who would eat a spare tire if it had enough mustard slathered on it, Raven's culinary skills had improved dramatically from the time she made those disgusting pancakes on the day the world was supposed to end.

Dinner was running a little late, so the hybrid team had already congregated in the dining room, taking in the delicious aromas coming out of kitchen. Sleedo and Nuvuti were really looking forward to dinner. The dinners at the mess hall in Obroa Skai were, to be honest, gross. The clone troopers didn't seem to mind the chow, but what did they know? Earth food on the other hand, was simply scrumptious. They had overheard Nightwing telling Jarvik that tonight was going to be "Mexican Night". Whatever that meant. The only thing the two Padawans cared about were the heavenly aromas coming out of the kitchen.

Just then Raven and Gar emerged from the kitchen bearing huge platters of food. Raven had a huge platter of her ever popular Enchiladas Suizas as well as a smaller platter of Tofu Enchiladas for her better half. Gar pushed a cart with several large serving bowls full of Mexican style rice (which he made with peas and little potato cubes), vegetarian refried beans, nopales (which are very hard to make), rajas, shredded beef in a hot red sauce and a crock pot brimming with chicken mole. Several smaller bowls of different salsas were already on the table. There were also two huge baskets filled with tortillas, one with corn and the other with flour tortillas. The couple returned to the kitchen to retrieve several pitchers of 'agua de jamaica', which was actually a red tea that was brewed from hibiscus flower petals and was served chilled and sweetened. And for dessert there was the biggest Flan that Nightwing had ever seen.

Starfire offered to help by setting the table. She emerged from the kitchen carrying a large stack of dishes when she slipped on some spilled hibiscus tea. As she lost her balance the stack of dishes went flying forward right in Gar's direction. Instinctively, without even thinking he gestured with both of his hands (which happened to be free). The dishes froze mid air, suspended as if by magic. Gar quickly collected them and placed them on table.

When he looked up, everyone except for Raven and Ahsoka had stunned looks on their faces.

Gar said the first thing that popped into his mind "Dinner is served!"

Nobody moved.

"C'mon, it's going to get cold!" He moaned.

Jarvik was the first to say anything "I see that you have been learning to use the Force, Garfield" while staring at Ahsoka.

"Thanks, but can we talk about it over dinner? It took over two hours to prepare all this, and I'm starving."

"Fine" Nightwing responded "but don't think you can weasel out of explaining what happened."

Gar morphed into a weasel and grabbed a butter knife, wielding it as if it were a light saber. The Titans all had a good laugh and sat down to enjoy the feast, much to Nuvuti and Sleedo's relief.

As Gar explained how his training under Ahsoka was proceeding, Raven gave the Jedi an introduction to Mexican cuisine, explaining the various dishes, the use of tortillas and salsas, etc. When the meal was complete (and to Raven's utter amazement there were no leftovers) Ahsoka announced that she felt that Garfield was now competent in defending himself from basic force attacks, such as pushes, chokes, etc., and that he would now be starting basic light saber training. This captured Nightwing's attention. He would make sure to observe that part of the changeling's training.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Lord Vader, you requested my presence?" Asajj Ventress inquired.

"Yes Ventress. I have a very special mission for you"

"I live to serve you and the Emperor." She replied.

"We have located some Jedi who escaped order 66."

"Really? Who?"

"Jarvik Katarra, two Padawans and someone from your past."

"Ahsoka Tano?"

"Indeed."

"I seem to recall that she was once very special to you."

"I was someone else back then. That relationship no longer has any meaning to me."

"Yes my Lord. Where are they located?"

"They fled to another dimension. They are hidden on a primitive backwater called Earth."

"That's an original name. I guess it sounds better than 'mud' or 'dirt'. How am I supposed to get there?"

"Sienar Systems is retrofitting a Venator class Star destroyer with special drives that will allow it to jump between dimensions. It should be ready for the mission in about 8 weeks. An Earthling named Slade Wilson will guide you to them. Select a crew for your mission. I suggest taking several younger Dark Jedi with you. The Star destroyer will have a standard crew assigned to it for operating purposes."

"Any special instructions my Lord?"

"If you cannot capture them, then eliminate them. Use your discretion. I will not be disappointed if you cannot capture them. Do you understand?"

"Yes my Lord, perfectly."

"I'm glad that we have come to this understanding. Also, do not concern yourself with collateral damage. Earth and its inhabitants are fully expendable. The same applies to any aliens who interfere with the mission. And one more thing. Keep an eye on Wilson and his wife. I have sensed that she has special powers, but I cannot identify them."

Ventress crossed her arm across her chest and bowed.

"Thank you for choosing me for this mission my Lord"

"Do not fail me Ventress."

"Consider the mission as accomplished, my Lord."

I have always wondered just what exactly Raven did to make those disgusting pancakes on the episode "The End – Part I". I mean, how do you ruin pancakes, other than burn them? Had she never heard of a timer?

Also, I was really craving some Mexican food when I first wrote this chapter (which was about 10 years ago).


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13–It ain't easy being green, especially when you're a Padawan

Beast Boy was beginning his third week of light saber training. He was still restricted to using the sparring sabers, which were easily identifiable by their yellow blades. Unlike regular sabers they wouldn't cut through anything, but did sting like the devil if you were hit with one. But they hummed just like the real thing, which Garfield thought was very cool.

Just as practitioner of Asian martial arts do, the Jedi practice patterns or forms. Garfield had mastered the type 1 forms and even Nightwing admitted that he looked very sharp while practicing them. Gar was having a harder time with sparring, since there were no similarly skilled apprentices with which to practice.

This meant that Gar had to spar with Nuvuti and Sleedo, which in Starfire's own words were "masters of the kicking of the butt". Gar did get better and was starting to hold his own against Nuvuti and Sleedo, when Ahsoka decided to up the ante.

"Garfield, starting today you will spar with Sleedo and Nuvuti simultaneously."

Gar shrieked "Dude! They'll totally kill me!"

"I think that's the idea, Beast Boy!" Nightwing shouted with a huge grin on his face.

"Oh crap" he muttered under his breath. _And today Raven actually came to watch, I wanted to show off to her how much I had improved._

Two hours later Ahsoka called a lunch break, wondering if it would be pizza yet again. Gar looked for Raven in the gym's bleachers, but she was nowhere to be found. He was starving, drenched in sweat and every muscle hurt. _What was I thinking, signing up for this?_ He thought as he trudged out of the Gym. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around.

"You did great Gar, don't be discouraged. We'll start working on type 2 forms this afternoon." It was Ahsoka. Gar realized that he'd rather get slimed by Plasmus than step back into the gym this afternoon.

"See you at 1" he replied.

"Take some extra time Gar. 2 o'clock is fine."

"Thanks, Ahsoka."

After what felt like an eternity Gar finally reached his apartment door. Before he could enter the code to unlock the door it swished open. Raven was standing in front of Gar.

"You look beat."

"I am." Gar replied, "Everything hurts."

She took his hand and led him to the bathroom. The Jacuzzi was fired up; there were scented candles and some soothing jazz playing. Gar could already feel his muscles begin to relax. He also noticed that there was a tray with sandwiches, chips and a huge fruit salad.

"Let me help you out of those." Raven said as she took Gar's sweat drenched outfit and dumped it into the hamper. Gar moaned as he lowered his sore body into the spa.

"Rave, you're a life saver."

"Would you like a soda to wash down those sandwiches, I made your favorite, TLTs." She said as she walked to their kitchenette.

"A root beer would hit the spot." He shouted back. "and thanks for babying me, it doesn't get any better than this…"

He paused.

Raven was standing by the bathroom door, in her birthday suit. "Here's your root beer." She said in her old school monotone deadpan.

"I guess it can get better." he grinned as she joined him in the spa, his sore muscles now a distant memory. Later that afternoon Ahsoka could have sworn that Garfield had a little spring in his step.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Trogaar sat in his command chair on the bridge of his flagship. He was still seething over his recent defeat in the Terran system. Word had reached the Citadel of his crushing defeat and he had lost all credibility in their eyes. He had asked them for assistance in mounting a second attack, but they were not interested. Apparently word had got around regarding the indestructible alien ship they encountered near Earth.

 _The Citadel didn't get to where they are today by being fools_ he thought to himself.

Trogaar realized that capturing the princess would require a different approach. It would require finesse as opposed to brute force. The only problem was that was the Gordanians were not known for finesse. But it would take finesse to get around the Jedi. The Jedi! They were the talk of the town on Earth, and were even getting known on nearby systems. He had seen the footage from the shopping center incident. Where had they come from? Nobody and I mean nobody had heard of them before the ill fated attack on Earth. He had seen what their ship was capable of, and he saw how the four Jedi warriors routed Slade's robot army and effortlessly neutralized his Geomancer wife.

He knew that he could not defeat the Jedi. If he was smart maybe he wouldn't have to fight them at all. But he needed help. He needed an ally desperate enough to take on such a crazy mission. He needed someone cunning and treacherous. Someone who could trick Koriand'r into letting herself be captured. And he knew who that person was.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Slade and Terra were attending a gala celebration in the Emperor's honor. It was the dedication of a new wing in the Galactic History museum, a new wing dedicated to Palpatine. The crowd was as veritable "who's who" of the Galactic Empire.

Security was airtight. Slade could not wear his trademark mask, and was forced to wear an eye patch over his now defunct right eye. Terra was concerned she would not have "anything to wear", but the truth was that her Earthly fashions didn't look out of place here as the variety of fashions matched the variety of worlds represented. Nevertheless the level of security bothered him. Perhaps Palpatine's grip on the Galaxy wasn't as firm as he claimed if he needed this many bodyguards.

Slade saw the #2 Sith approaching them, with a tall, bald woman with perhaps the harshest features he had ever seen walking beside Vader. He noticed that the woman had two light sabers attached to her belt, both with curved grips.

"Wilson." Vader addressed Slade. "This is Asajj Ventress. She will be leading the expedition to extricate the four Jedi from Earth."

"My pleasure, Ms. Ventress." Slade replied.

"We shall meet tomorrow at Central Command. You will brief me on the situation on Earth: political entities, police and defense forces. The location of the Jedi and any allies and enemies they have." Her voice hissed like an angry asp.

"I have all materials already prepared." Slade replied. "I can be there at any time that is convenient for you."

"We will meet at 8:00 AM. Do not be late." She abruptly turned and walked away. Then she stopped. Without turning around she said "And do not bring her with you." Then she left.

Slade turned to Vader. "She must be very effective. How long have you known her?"

"That is not your concern, Wilson."

"Forgive me my impertinence, My Lord."

Vader said nothing and also turned abruptly and walked away.

"Is everybody in this dimension scary beyond reason?" Terra asked Slade.

"Only the ones who matter." Slade replied.

At that moment fanfare was played over loudspeakers. Palpatine entered the new museum wing, accompanied by Vader, Ventress and several other scary looking types. Slade recognized Master Jerec from his previous trip. The blind Jedi was one of the first to surrender to the Empire and embrace the Dark Side of the Force. There were over a dozen of the Emperor's creepy red guards as well. The group filed up a dais where there was a podium. Palpatine walked up to the podium and addressed the crowd.

"Citizens of the Empire, I greet you. We are here today to celebrate the victory of order over anarchy. Just a few months ago we were in the middle of a Galactic Civil War that threatened to destroy the very fabric of our civilization. As we all know, the Jedi Knights were behind this disorder and have been dealt with. They continue to plot against us and we will not rest until their threat has been eradicated forever. "

Palpatine paused. Suddenly several red guards appeared around Slade and Terra, motioning them towards the dais.

Palpatine continued."A long time friend and ally has located four of these renegades and their threat will soon be eradicated. Citizens, I present to you Slade and Terra Wilson, heroes of the Empire!"

At this point Slade and Terra faced the crowd and bowed. The mass of sycophants erupted into wild applause.

Then a deafening explosion was heard, and it came from above. Slade looked up and saw that the massive roof over the new wing was collapsing and there was no way to get out in time. He also saw Palpatine, Vader and the light saber crowd raising their hands, willing the cave in to stop. They could not, it was simply too massive. They would all be crushed, including Slade and Terra.

Terra had also seen what was happening. Her eyes began to glow yellow and she raised her arms and roared. To everyone's amazement the cave in stopped, with huge pieces of permacrete, some weighing several tons simply floating like soap bubbles. Terra gave another grunt and the mass of shattered roof was flung landing safely away from the Emperor and his entourage.

Palpatine approached the Wilsons. "My friend, I am in your debt" Palpatine told him deadpan. "Rest assured you will be rewarded handsomely. Mrs. Wilson is most talented, isn't she Lord Vader?"

 _Sometimes it just pays to be lucky_ Slade pondered.

TLT = Tofu, Lettuce and Tomato

Thanks for reading.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14–Starfire and Nightwing

It was 2 AM and Nightwing was sitting in his office, stewing in his own juices.

There had been no sign of Slade in over 6 weeks. Nothing. He had tried everything, searched everywhere. Slade had simply vanished.

Nightwing had been tense all week, snapping at everyone, especially at Starfire when she tried to get him to relax.

And to make matters worse, Gar had humiliated him during bo staff sparring that morning. Gar had been exempted from the Titans regular training and Nightwing decided that enough was enough. What made things worse was that Gar had defeated him every match without making any real effort. _And I made an ass out of myself by demanding endless rematches, until Cyborg stepped in to stop me._

He dropped his head on his desk and slammed his fist against it. Then instinctively he turned. Starfire had entered his office.

"Richard, please come to bed" she implored him.

"Not now Star, I'm not ready."

"Please come Richard, come, and I will make you forget all your problems."

He stared at her. She was dressed only in a night gown. Starfire had filled out nicely as she reached maturity. _Nicely? She was a goddess! Compared to her Raven was a mousy school girl, and Raven receives tons of fanboy mail. What am I doing here? Just look at her face. I am a klorbag_ he thought.

"Forgive me Star, I'm an idiot."

"That's the first intelligent thing you have said in a week." She replied with her arms crossed.

"How about a second intelligent idea" he grinned "Let's go on a second honeymoon, somewhere far away, say a secluded resort in the South Pacific?"

Starfire's frown vanished. "When?" she beamed.

"As soon as possible. We can visit a travel agent tomorrow. Maybe we can get Ahsoka to take us there in the Jedi shuttle craft. We could be there within a few hours of booking the trip."

She took his hand. "Come to bed, I wish to make you forget your troubles."

"But I already have forgotten them."

"Then just pretend you still haven't" she grinned.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Ahsoka and Garfield were going through the prelaunch sequence in shuttle. It was the same model shuttle that Palpatine took when he traveled to Mustafar to rescue Darth Vader from a fiery and dismembered death. It could easily traverse the Milky Way galaxy in hours, and it was overkill for the journey to the South Pacific, but it would provide Gar some practice at the controls. Raven decided to come along for the ride. After dropping the stressed couple off they would take a side trip to Tamaran to pick up a care package for Starfire from Galfore, which they would drop off on the way back.

 _Probably some disgusting food._ Raven thought to herself.

The trip only took 30 minutes. And before they knew it Star and Dick were watching the shuttle fly away from their island getaway.

"Gar has become quite the pilot, has not he Richard."

"You can't argue with success." He conceded. "Shall we get some lunch?"

"Oh yes, Raven told me that they have a most wonderful Japanese restaurant here in the resort."

As they left, Nightwing noticed that Starfire had forgotten her handbag. _Aw, she won't need it_ , he thought to himself.

It was windy, and Starfire noticed that her hair needed brushing when they arrived at the restaurant

"Richard, I forgot my handbag, and I need my brush."

"I'll go back and get it for you" he offered.

"No don't, I'll fly back quickly, it will be faster. Why don't you just go on in and get us a table. I will be back in no time."

"OK" he smiled. The tropical resort was making him forget all hos troubles.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Starfire entered their room and walked to the dresser to grab her hand bag, leaving her door open. She heard the door slam and turned around, shocked at what she saw: a perfect doppelganger of herself, holding a Gordanian stun gun.

"Who are you?" she demanded angrily.

"Don't you recognize me sister?" Blackfire grinned evilly. "Don't tell me that a little hair dye and some contact lenses did the trick?" she laughed.

Starfire lunged at her sister, who pulled the trigger on the stun gun. Starfire collapsed instantly. Two Gordanian warriors emerged from the bathroom and carried her away.

 _Well, that's part one of the deal_ Blackfire told herself. _Now to infiltrate the Titans and steal that beautiful ship._

Trogaar had promised to restore her to the throne on Tamaran if she was successful in stealing the Jedi Arrow.

 _And now to impersonate my sister. Mmmm, I wonder how good o a lover Nightwing is. S_ he laughed inwardly. _I guess I'll be finding out soon enough._

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven, Ahsoka and Gar were on their merry way back from Tamaran after Galfore had loaded the shuttle with his "care package", all 4 metric tons of it.

Raven was still laughing at the sheer volume of it. "What in the world could be packed in there?" she laughed.

"Probably four tons of cream of toenails and fungus." Garfield chuckled. Raven laughed even louder in reply.

Ahsoka sat quietly as the shuttle flew through hyperspace, getting closer to Earth. She realized that this was a private joke that Gar and Raven were sharing with each other, and left it at that. Hpwever, she did have something else she wanted to bring up.

"Garfield?" she interrupted.

"Yeah?" said the still snickering green jokester.

"I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you having completing basic light saber training. You use the force with skill and you technique is excellent."

"He's also buffed out nicely. I owe you one." Raven said as she fondled his now much beefier arms.

"Get a room you two!" Ahsoka laughed. She had caught on to American slang much faster than Starfire ever did.

"Anyway" she continued after getting her laughter under control "what I'm trying to say is that you are ready to wield a real light saber."

The shuttle cabin became silent, until Raven broke the silence with an uncharacteristic (at least for her) "Dude!"

Ahsoka smiled. She envied the relationship they had, and simply could not believe the stories about how they used to constantly bicker with each other.

"And I want you to have this one." She reached into her Jedi robe and pulled out a shiny silver light saber, handing it to Garfield, who stared in awe at the precious gift.

"Go ahead, ignite it"

Garfield pressed the power switch with his thumb and the familiar snap-hiss sound echoed throughout the cock pit.

"The blade is the same hue of purple as Raven's hair." Gar whispered.

"Do you like it?" Ahsoka teased him, already knowing the answer.

Gar shut the saber off, then turned to his Jedi master. "Ahsoka, it's beautiful, I don't know what to say."

"Uh, how about 'Thank you'?" Raven volunteered.

Gar quickly turned to Raven then back to Ahsoka. "Yeah, right, I mean, of course, thanks".

Ahsoka rose from her seat and embraced both of them. "Nothing but the best for my favorite Titans. It was given to me by Jedi Master Mace Windu as a gift when I passed the trials."

Just then the Nav computer chimed and the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace into high Earth orbit.

"Shall we deliver the care package, or at least a sample of it?" Ahsoka shared as she watched Gar take the shuttle into the atmosphere.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Before anyone gets on my case, Raven is not ugly. But she is gray and short.

Any guess what might happen when they deliver the care package. Will Gar get to break in his light saber? Or will Blackfire fool them all?


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Blackfire

Blackfire was finding it harder to keep up her impersonation of her sister than she anticipated. For one thing she hadn't seen her sister in years and wasn't up to date on her sister's latest mannerisms. She was going "retro" and hoped Nightwing wouldn't notice.

As they had dinner Nightwing found it odd that Starfire was dousing her sushi in mustard. While she remained a mustard freak she had learned to appreciate some foods without the magical condiment, and sushi was one of those treats. Nightwing would have just shrugged it off, but she was just being weird.

"Star, are you OK?"

"Oh yes Richard, I am most satisfactory, I mean, I am the OK."

"What?"

Blackfire was debating whether to cut and run, but she was determined to sleep with Nightwing before it came to that, even if that meant she had to kill him afterwards. _I can't wait to tell dear sister what I did with her hubby before I killed him._

"Let us return to our room and make the love, yes?"

Nightwing gave her a funny look. "Uh, sure, whatever you say Star."

As they walked back to the room (actually it was a cabana right on the beach) they saw the shuttle land on the beach, and Raven emerged from it holding a small box.

As she approached Nightwing shouted "You went all the way to Tamaran just to retrieve that little box?"

"There's 4 more tons of whatever this in the cargo hold." Raven replied.

"Where is friend Beast Boy? I wish to give him the greetings." Blackfire clumsily articulated trying to imitate a Starfire that no longer existed.

 _Beast boy? She hasn't called him that in years. Nobody calls him Beast Boy anymore. Is she trying to piss me off?_ Raven wondered.

"Uh Star, are you feeling OK?"

Blackfire realized that her cover was about to be blown. But before clearing out she decided to have a little fun.

"I am, but I don't think you will be." She belted Raven in the face, knocking her out. She then turned to Nightwing "Hello brother-in-law! Care to do it with a real woman?" She said in her real voice.

Meanwhile Gar and Ahsoka were back in the shuttle, discussing tomorrow's training plan when he felt a piercing shock in the Force. He winced in pain, but immediately understood what had happened. He said a single word as he bolted from the shuttle: "Raven!" Ahsoka followed right behind him.

As they arrived at the Cabana a very strange sight greeted Gar. Starfire was beating Nightwing savagely, but it was Blackfire's voice that he heard "So I'm not good enough for you, am I you puny human!" Nightwing was motionless, bleeding from every orifice of his body, clearly unconscious.

Raven was struggling to get up, still seeing stars from Blackfire's super human back fist strike. She spat out a few teeth and blood. Blackfire noticed her stirring and turned to her.

"Time to finish you off, little gray girl." She drew back her right hand, preparing a huge star bolt with which to kill Raven. She then heard a snap-hiss sound behind her and before she could turn around she felt a sharp pain in her right wrist. She let out a scream of horror when she saw that a stump was all that was left of her right hand. She drew back her other hand to launch a star bolt, but it suffered the same fate as the first. By this point she was in total shock, and it was then that she saw that it was Garfield who wielded the strange Jedi weapon. He then morphed into a gorilla and knocked her out with a blow to her head.

He immediately morphed back into his human form and ran to Raven's side. She was on all fours and her face was covered in blood.

"Rae! Rae! Are you OK?" Gar wailed at the sight of his beloved. Meanwhile Ahsoka was examining Nightwing. He appeared to have several broken ribs and a concussion.

"It looks worse than it is." How's Richard?

"He's in bad shape. Raven. She almost killed him. And don't say you're OK. I can see your teeth on the hround!"

"I can grow them back with a spell." she coughed "Let me help Nightwing."

Raven approached Nightwing and began to mend his wounds, starting with his concussion. Meanwhile Gar had retrieved some wet towels from the bath and wiped the blood off her face while she worked on Grayson. The right side of her face was a mess, as if someone had hit her with a crow bar. Ahsoka applied some Bacta to her face. Raven moved onto Nightwing's ribs. Once she had finished that she asked Gar to take her to the shuttle, which he did. As soon as he laid her down on a bunk in the rear of the shuttle she went immediately into her levitating healing trance. Gar ran back to the Cabana, which was now surrounded by a crowd. As he entered he saw Ahsoka securing the still unconscious Blackfire.

"Careful with her eyes, she can fire energy beams from them." He warned her. Nightwing was moaning. "Let's get out of here before the police arrive. I don't want to deal with them now. We need to get back to the tower." Gar added. He morphed into a gorilla again and picked up both Nightwing and Blackfire like they were rag dolls and lumbered back to the shuttle. Ahsoka retrieved Blackfire's two severed hands and returned to the shuttle as well. Within a few minutes they were airborne.

 **-(-)-**

Ahsoka was confused by what she had just seen. "Garfield, what happened down there? Why did Starfire attack Raven and Nightwing?"

"That's not Starfire. It's her evil sister Blackfire. She disguised herself to look like Star."

"Then where is Starfire?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll bet she's been captured by the Gordanians."

Garfield pulled out his communicator and called Cyborg. After updating him on the situation he suggested that Cy contact Galfore to let him know what had happened. Gar realized that with Tamaran's help that there was chance to rescue Starfire, especially since both Raven and Nightwing were injured. Gar ran to the back to check on Raven. She was no longer in her trance, and was now only asleep. Her face was bruised all over, but was already looking much better. He took her hand and kissed her palm and fingers several times. She opened her eyes and said "It hurts". Gar ran to the med kit and came back with some morphine. He injected her and within a few minutes she was sleeping peacefully.

Before going back to the cockpit he checked on Blackfire. She was still secured and looked far worse than Raven. He didn't care if she had a concussion. He looked at the stumps where he had cut off her hands to save Raven from a certain death.

"She's supposed to be imprisoned on Eridani 4" he said to no one in particular. It was only then that the disastrous situation finally sank in for him: Starfire was missing, almost certainly in Gordanian custody and on her way to the Citadel. Nightwing was almost beaten to death and Raven had also been severely beaten.

Ahsoka sensed his distress. "You did well Garfield. You didn't give in to the Dark Side."

"I wanted to kill her." He said softly "Especially after seeing what she did to Raven."

"But you didn't. Now you understand why the order requires Knights to be celibate. It's very hard to be detached if you have someone you love more than life itself."

"I understand…"

"We are approaching the tower. Prepare for arrival."

The shuttle landed on the tower roof. Cyborg had two gurneys waiting for Nightwing and Raven, and took them immediately to the infirmary. X-rays confirmed that Blackfire had broken Raven's jaw, but it had partially healed during the trance. And while Raven's healing touch had saved Nightwing from certain death he was also in bad shape, including internal organ damage.

Blackfire was quickly checked and was found to be concussion free. Cyborg literally threw her into the highest security cell they had. He planned on interrogating her soon.

Ahsoka retrieved a med droid from the Arrow and had it attend to Nightwing and Raven's care.

It was now 8 PM and Gar realized that he hadn't anything to eat since breakfast. He gently kissed Raven on the lips and left the infirmary to get something to eat. He found Sleedo and Nuvuti in the kitchen, preparing something for him. Nuvuti hugged him and Sleedo handed him a tray with sandwiches and some sodas. He thanked them and headed back to the infirmary with his meal to wait.

It was going to be a long night.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Looks like Blackfire got more than she bargained for!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – Pain

Raven slowly woke up. As soon as her eyes could focus she saw Gar sitting in a recliner next to her bed, sound asleep. She turned the other way and saw that Nightwing was not in his bed. She saw a large transparent tank in the rear of the infirmary and vaguely remembered waking up earlier and seeing Nightwing submerged in the tank while the med droid fussed around the tank. _He must have been treated and discharged already. Poor Richard, he must be frantic about Starfire_ , she thought sadly.

She noticed that her mouth was sore and explored it with her tongue. _Did I really lose that many teeth? That bitch really does pack a wallop._

She sat up and began to examine her mouth with her fingers. A med droid approached her. "I can replace your lost teeth with prosthetic implants." It buzzed. "I can perform the procedure now if you wish."

"No, thank you, I can regenerate them myself." She quietly replied.

"As you wish mistress. You are now healthy enough to be discharged" It replied as it proceeded to remove her IV".

As soon as she was free of the IV Raven swung her legs around and sat facing Gar. She felt a cool breeze on her backside. _Damn hospital gowns!_ _Oh well, we've all seen each other's butts in the infirmary, except for Cyborg, who doesn't have a real one_ she chuckled in her mind.

She stood up and then gently sat down sideways on Garfield's lap. He stirred and then jolted awake. As soon as he saw who it was sitting on his lap he embraced her and she reciprocated the gesture, followed by several tender kisses on her lips. They held each other for several minutes. Words were not necessary.

Raven interrupted the silence first "Dr. Robot says I'm done here. Would you get me something to wear? I'm not walking back to our apartment wearing a hospital gown."

"I'm a step ahead of you." He handed her a recycled department store bag with fresh undies, socks , a t-shirt, some sweats and a pair of sneakers. Then he drew the curtain around her bed, remaining with her.

"Need any help?" he grinned.

"It's nothing you've never seen before. You perv!" she smirked.

"Hey, it's your fault for being so hot."

She grinned at him, exposing all her missing teeth and her bruised gums.

"Still think I'm hot?"

"Always." he replied.

Raven rolled her eyes and removed the wretched hospital gown while her husband handed her some clean panties.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The common room was a whirlwind. Using a remote console Sleedo and Nuvuti were using the sensors on the Arrow in an attempt to locate any ships that were on a course leading away from Earth. So far they were unsuccessful.

Galfore had arrived earlier from Tamaran with Starfire's brother Ryand'r and a whole phalanx of fierce Tamaranian warriors, who remained outside admiring the Jedi Arrow. Galfore and Ryand'r were briefing Nightwing, Cyborg and the Jedi on the Citadel's military capabilities. From what they were told the Citadel was an enemy to be reckoned with. They seldom dirtied their own hands, instead relying on suck ups like the Gordanians to do their dirty work. But if push came to shove they could hit hard. Ryand'r wasn't sure about how the Arrow would fare against a fleet of Citadel ships.

Nightwing spoke up. "I fear getting Earth involved with this. The planet would be helpless if the Citadel were to launch a retaliatory strike."

"Nightwing's concern is legitimate" Jarvik added.

"Then we launch our attack from Tamaran!" Galfore boomed.

Just then Raven and Gar entered the common room, holding hands, on their way to the kitchen to find something to eat. Galfore turned towards them.

"Greetings, little sorceress! I am pleased to see that you are up and about. I must apologize for Komand'r's actions. Her k'norfka did not raise her well."

Galfore turned to Gar. "You may be small, green one, but your heart is large. You defeated Komand'r in battle, and that is no small feat. You saved both your mate's and my son-in-law's lives with your bold actions."

"Thank you, sir." Gar replied.

Nightwing nodded at Gar, who understood his subtle gesture of gratitude. Nightwing then spoke "Now that we are all here, let's interrogate the prisoner."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Starfire awoke. She quickly realized that she was bound, and could not move at all. She was wearing some sort of helmet that covered her eyes and she was fully drained of her powers. She was helpless.

Even though she knew where she was being taken, her first thoughts were of him. _Richard, please be OK. If she has harmed you she will regret it, I swear by X'Hal!_

She felt the tears run down her cheeks, unable to raise a hand to wipe them away.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Blackfire also awoke, but she had no idea where she was. She tried to lift herself up, but her hand slipped and she fell back onto the hard floor. Her head and face hurt, and the floor plant she just had didn't help. She looked for her hand and only saw a stump where it should have been.

 _Oh X'Hal, it wasn't a dream!_

She looked at her other hand and saw that it too was only a stump now. Her powers had been drained from her. She could not shoot energy beams from her eyes. Her captors understood Tamaranian physiology well. She was powerless.

 _I am finished, ruined. I am no longer a warrior._

She stood up, this time without the aid of her nonexistent hands. Then it dawned on her: she had been captured. She would be returned to Eridani 4 and her sentence would be extended to life for escaping. And now that she was a maimed freak there would be no one willing to help her.

 _What have I done? Did I betray my sister for this?_

She fell to her knees, her back to the entrance of her cell.

She wept bitterly. She also did not hear the door open behind her.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Trogaar was furious. After all the trouble he endured to capture the Princess the Citadel told him that they no longer desired her. 'You can keep her' he was told.

And to make matters worse, he had received word that Blackfire had almost been killed by the green changeling. He could forget about stealing the alien vessel.

He had ordered his ship back to the home world. He was returning empty handed with his tail between his legs. The Emperor would not be pleased. He was already angry with him for losing so many ships during the battle near Earth.

All he had was the Princess, who no one seemed to want. He was debating on whether to demand ransom for her, to at least cover his losses. But he doubted that either Galfore or the Titans would be agreeable to that. _Maybe if I threatened to kill her..._

Suddenly his ship lurched and was jolted out of hyperspace. "Status! What's happening?" He barked.

"My Lord, our FTL drives have gone off line. We don't know why." an officer responded.

Trogaar looked out the main view port. Both of his hearts froze in fear. A wedge shaped alien ship, much larger than the one they encountered near Earth, was on an intercept course with them.

"Lord Trogaar" another officer screeched "They are hailing us".

 _ **-(-)-**_

Blackfire turned when she heard voices behind her. She recognized Galfore, Ryand'r and the Titans. She did not recognize the two hooded figures. She rose to her feet and faced Gar.

"Look at what you have done to me!" she screamed as she pointed her two stumps at him. "Why didn't you just kill me instead? Was it your plan to humiliate me like this?"

She fell to her knees, sobbing violently.

Galfore raised his voice "Compose yourself, Komand'r. You are still a princess of Tamaran."

"I was," she replied weakly "now I am nothing. I am beyond redemption." Tears dripped from her cheeks and fell on the floor.

"That is not true" Ahsoka interrupted as she lowered her hood. "You can redeem yourself by helping us rescue your sister."

"I will." She whispered. The she turned to Nightwing "Richard, please forgive me. I just wanted to get out of that prison."

"If we recover Starfire unharmed, then I will forgive you." The bitterness was evident in his voice.

She turned to Raven. A massive bruise was still visible on her face. Their gazes met, until Blackfire turned away. "I am so sorry."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Trogaar's communication officer was able to establish a visual link with the alien vessel. On the screen two humanoids appeared. One was male, his face hid behind a mask. Trogaar recognized him; he was a criminal from Earth called Deathstroke or Slade. The other was a severe looking female who kept her scalp shaved.

Slade addressed him. "Word has it that you have something we want, Trogaar. The Princess. Hand her over, now!"

"What do we get if we comply?" Troggar asked nervously.

This time the female responded "You and your crew will die a quick death instead of a slow and painful one." she hissed.

Trogaar was beginning to panic. The alien ship was huge and its energy readings were off the charts. He knew that her threat wasnot an idle one. "Surely, My Lady we can be of some use to you." He whimpered.

"I doubt it."

Slade interjected. "They might be useful in gathering intelligence on the Tamaranians."

"Tamaranians do not concern me Slade."

 _Was she born with that horrid voice?_ Slade wondered.

"They are allies of the Titans and hence of the Jedi. They are fierce, incredibly strong and numerous. Not to mention they are the Princess's own people. And unlike the Gordanians they are not cowards."

"Very well, Slade, I will indulge you." She turned to Trogaar. "Do not betray me Gordanian, if you do you will regret ever being born."

"Thank you, My Lady. You have our allegiance."

Ventress stepped away from the view screen. Slade addressed Trogaar. "Power down your engines and prepare to be boarded. Have the Princess ready for us at the main docking station."

The visual link was terminated. Trogaar was pondering the course of events. _Just when you think that things can't get any worse..._

Had he been a mammal, he would have let out a deep sigh.

-(-)-

It seems like the only guy who had a good day today was Slade.

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – Out of the fire and into the frying pan.

Starfire could sense that something was happening. There was screaming and shouting in the hallway outside her cell. Suddenly she heard the cell door open and heard several sets of footsteps in the cell. She then heard the restraints that secured her to the floor become unlocked.

Several strong hands grabbed her arms and the lifted her from the floor. Since her other restraints were still in place she could not move any of her limbs or see where she was being taken, so they dragged her. When she attempted to ask what was happening, she was told to remain quiet. She was dragged a long way across the ship until her jailers stopped. She heard someone say 'We wait here.'

She tried to listen for a hint of what was happening, but her captors were as quiet as a grave yard. She then heard what she thought was an airlock become sealed. She then heard a hatch open and heard several other sets of footsteps, these sounding different from the ones that had dragged her here.

"Is this the girl?" a familiar voice asked.

"She is the Princess" a Gordanian voice replied.

She heard someone approach her and felt a ring placed around her neck.

"You can remove her restraints. Her powers are neutralized."

 _That voice, it can't be._ She thought.

The last restraint removed was the helmet that obscured her vision. Her suspicions were confirmed.

"Slade!" she hissed "What do you want with me?" She drew her hand back to form a star bolt, but nothing happened.

"Relax Starfire, you powers are neutralized by the ring around your neck".

Starfire tugged at the ring.

"You will find that it's quite impossible to remove." He said with hint of satisfaction.

"What do you want, Slade?"

"You should know by now Starfire. What do I always want?"

Starfire saw a bald woman enter the room "You are enjoying this too much, Slade, secure the girl in our brig." the woman hissed in her evil voice.

Several men dressed in white armor approached Starfire and escorted her to the brig of Venator class Star Destroyer "Palpatine's Hand".

Starfire was a lot brighter than most people gave her credit. It was obvious to her that Slade was working for this harsh woman, but what quarrel could she have with her or the Titans? She was clearly an alien. Then it struck her. _She wants the Jedi! She must be a Sith._

Starfire realized that she was even in more trouble than she thought. _This is far worse than being a prisoner of the Citadel._

 _ **-(-)-**_

The Titans decided to rest before leaving for Tamaran, where an allied fleet was forming to attack the Citadel. This would give Nightwing and Raven some extra time to recover. Galfore and his warriors had already departed for Tamaran to make preparations.

Gar had decided to stay up late with the Jedi. _What am I now? Jedi or Titan?_ He wondered to himself as he and Raven walked back to their apartment. _Is it possible to be both?_

He stayed and meditated with Raven for 30 minutes. While he enjoyed communing with the Force he still preferred Raven's style of meditating when he needed to calm himself. And after what had happened these past few days he was way overdue. Once he was done meditating he kissed her goodnight and headed back to the common room. The Jedi and Cyborg were abuzz running back and forth between consoles.

"What's going on?" Gar asked.

"We just got word from Tamaran that their intelligence network has confirmed that Trogaar kidnapped Starfire, but look at this, the Citadel refused her and sent Trogaar packing." Cyborg explained.

"That sounds like good news to me. We don't have to mess with the Citadel." Gar replied.

"But there's more. Trogaar's ship never arrived back at the Gordanian home world. It vanished."

"No!" Garfield exclaimed.

"I think that the Sith might be behind this disappearance." Jarvik shared.

Ahsoka stood up from her console. "Are you sure? I haven't felt any tremors in the Force."

"I have. It's very subtle, trying to hide from us. But I have felt it."

The changeling had felt nothing as well, and decided to take Jarvik at his word. "So what do we do now?"

Cyborg pondered for a moment "We need to tell Nightwing. We can let Raven rest for now." He then left for Nightwing's room to break the news to him.

Gar stared silently at the ops console, then spoke up "I suppose this means we won't have to find them. They will come to us."

Jarvik nodded in agreement.

"Do you think they have Star with them? Why would they? They couldn't possibly know who she is, could they?"

"Perhaps they made an alliance with the Gordanians?" Sleedo offered.

"No." Jarvik interrupted. "Someone from this dimension went back to Republic to inform them of our presence here."

"But who?" Ahsoka asked.

"I know who it was." A voice called from the entrance to the common room.

Everyone turned around to the entrance.

"It was Slade" Raven announced.

 _ **-(-)-**_

After surrendering his prisoner Trogaar was instructed to proceed to the Centauri system and watch Earth from a distance. Once the Gordanian ship had pulled away from the Hand's docking bay it was pelted with Turbo Laser fire from the Star Destroyer. It was destroyed immediately and all hands were lost.

"See, I told you they would cooperate if they thought they would be spared." Slade told Ventress.

"I see now why the Emperor is so fond of you Slade. But remember your place. You are the outsider on this ship."

Slade recalled his betrayal by Trigon. He would be more careful this time.

"Yes My Lady. I will remember my place."

 _Terra is right; these people are scary beyond reason. I'd best go check on her._

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Slade? Are you certain of this? How can you be sure?" Jarvik asked.

Garfield knew, and he realized right there what Raven was about to say. He also realized that Nightwing and Cyborg had already returned and heard what Raven had said.

"Raven, are you sure you want to share this?" He asked her.

"I must, there is no other way."

"Please continue." Jarvik was wondering what she would say.

"After destroying Azarath, Trigon invaded this dimension, with Slade's help. Trigon shared many of his powers with Slade. He used him to scout other dimensions to invade while he prepared to invade this dimension."

"How do you know this? We know that once Trigon was destroyed by his daughter that his secrets died with him. How could you possibly know this?" Jarvik asked incredulously.

Ahsoka gasped "Raven, are you Trigon's daughter?"

Raven nodded her head somberly; her face showed the pain she felt inside. Gar moved next to her, took her hand and held it tightly.

"Do any of you have a problem with that?" he snarled.

Jarvik shook his head. "Not at all. Raven is an anonymous hero across many dimensions, including ours, at least amongst those of us who were aware of Trigon's threat".

He turned to face the gray Titan.

"You have no idea how many people you saved."

Raven felt the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders. She turned to Gar and hugged him.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The final showdown is approaching.

Can we guess what will happen next? As Yoda would say, "always in motion the future is ."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Uncertainty.

The Titans and the Jedi huddled in the common room, trying their best to assess the situation.

"So what are we up against?" Nightwing asked Jarvik.

"Inter-dimensional travel was still a challenge for the Republic when we departed, still at the experimental stage. I am guessing that we are facing a single Star Destroyer, either Victory or Venator class." He replied.

"What's the difference between the two?" Cyborg asked.

"Venators are more flexible, they adapt more easily to a variety of tasks. Before the fall there were rumors that Sienar System were adapting a Venator with dimension jump drives. It's almost certain that they came on that ship."

"How does a Venator compare to your ship?" Garfield asked, still holding Raven in his arms.

"There's no comparison, it's superior to our ship in every way." Ahsoka shared. "Remember, the Arrow is a modified corvette. We could never engage them directly and win."

"So what do we do then?" Raven asked.

After some deliberation Jarvik spoke "We need to lead them away from Earth. A single Venator could easily destroy all life on Earth."

"So we just cut and run? Won't they catch us eventually?" Nightwing asked.

"Eventually they would." Ahasoka sighed.

"Cy, any reports out there that might help?" Nightwing asked.

"Galfore says that there is a report of an alien ship orbiting Rigel 7, but there are no details beyond that."

"That's 800 light years away, they could be here within hours. We need to get out of here. And the sooner the better. We need a place to hide to buy is time to come up with a plan." Nightwing replied. "What about the Green Lantern Corps.? "

Galfore spat upon hearing the name of Oa's champions. "They will not help. They never do. And what could Earth's assigned Lanterns do? They are small in number."

"Hal, Guy, John and Kyle are away fighting the Red Lantern Corps, along with the rest of the Green Lanterns. Galfore's right, we can forget about the Green Lanterns' help."

"And the Justice League is also away." Nightwing added. "We're on our own."

"Another report." Cyborg interrupted. "Remember Val-Yor?"

"The silver bigot? Who could forget him?" Val-Yor's hateful words towards Starfire still burned in Raven's memory. "What's he doing?"

"Apparently he and some of his team mates engaged the alien ship. All but one of them died in the attack, including Val-Yor. There are some images attached to the report. Apparently they have been laying waste to systems on their way here." The images appeared on the main view screen.

"Well, that's a Venator alright." Ahsoka sighed once again.

"Ahsoka is familiar with this class of ship, as she served on them during the Clone War."

"So it's full of those clone troopers you told us about before?" Gar asked.

"Most likely" Jarvik responded. "I do not wish to be rude but we are wasting time. We must depart immediately. The ship is fully supplied so I suggest that you quickly gather any personal belongings you might need. There is no telling when we will be able to return."

"But where are we going? We still need to find a place to hide." Gar reminded everyone.

"I think I can help with that." A timid voice offered. It was Blackfire. "It's a place they would have to be crazy to go into. The Draconis nebula. I know my way around in there and how to avoid the black holes."

"Sounds like the Kessel Run." Nuvuti said.

"Very well, let's meet in 10 minutes. Ahsoka and I will begin the pre-launch sequence."

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Is this the best your dimension has to offer, Slade?" Ventress growled with satisfaction as the sole surviving alien ship broke off its attack and escaped into hyperspace.

"No, there are others who are more powerful. But none pose a threat to us, and they know it. The wise will stay out of our way."

"What of the Tamaranians?"

"They do not lie along our path to Earth. I expect to encounter them once we engage the Titans and the Jedi on Earth."

"Good, it will save us the nuisance of seeking them out." She grinned. "We will be in Earth orbit in 3 hours. Be ready, Slade."

Slade excused himself, returned to his quarters and had a conversation with Terra.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Starfire sat glumly on the bunk in her tiny, depressing cell. She could not help but wonder what was happening to her friends back home. She was also in a foul mood. She hadn't had a bath or change of clothes since she was captured by her sister. She had lost track of how long ago that was. She knew that despair was beginning to set in and that she had to fight it. She had faith in her teammates, but this was perhaps this greatest challenge they had faced since Trigon. She remembered how Richard had stressed back then to never lose hope. She resolved to not give into despair. She also remembered Nightwing's words from her journey into the future: "…we've done the impossible before…" She smiled. The Sith didn't know the Titans.

Suddenly her cell door hissed open. Terra walked in with two Clone Troopers.

"Terra" she snarled. "What do you want, traitor?"

Terra struck her in the face. Starfire fell back hitting the wall, then fell to the ground.

"Leave us" she said with a wicked grin. The clones stepped out of the cell and sealed the door.

Terra then knelt down to get closer to the still dazed Starfire. "Sorry about that, but I have to keep up appearances."

Starfire gazed at her, dumbfounded.

"Tell me where they are!" Terra screamed.

In a whisper she said "These people are insane Starfire, we think they'll destroy Earth."

"Tell me, unless you want another beating." She screamed again.

"I know we are enemies, but we can't let them destroy our home. Scream as if I hit you." again in a hushed tone.

Starfire figured she had nothing to lose by playing along. She let out a blood curdling scream.

"Not bad. So do you fake it with Nightwing too?"

She received an icy glare from Starfire in response.

"Sorry, force of habit." She paused. "Here, this key will unlock that collar. I don't know when the right time to use this will be. I'll let you know when we get to Earth."

"Is Nightwing unharmed?" Starfire stammered.

"As far as we know he is. They all are if the Tamaranian intelligence reports we intercepted are correct. But only for now. Slade and I trying to come up with a plan, but we don't have anything yet. Our first priority is to keep Ventress from wiping out Earth if the Titans and the Jedi are gone, which we think is certain."

Terra rose. "You will talk next time. I will bring an interrogation droid and I promise you it won't be pleasant" she shouted. She then tapped on the door. It opened and she exited.

Starfire rose and sat down again on her bunk, assessing what had just happened. Was Terra up to something or was she sincere?

 _I will try the key._

It worked, the ring unlocked. She disabled it and snapped it back on again and hid the key in a private part of her body.

She pondered her next move. She was completely in the dark, still not knowing if she could trust Terra or not. Slade did have a track record of putting Earth first. _When it served him_ she reminded herself.

She could try to escape now that she had access to her powers, but realized that in her weakened state she would probably fail. She had no choice but to wait for Slade and Terra's next move.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing informed Alfred over a secure land line of what was happening as asked him to inform the Justice League on what might happen if the Imperial ship arrived to find they had flown the coop. Alfed told him that Earth's Green Lanterns were already on their way to Earth, but that they were the only ones that could be spared. He also said that the Justice League was also hurrying back. It was almost certain that Slade had briefed the invaders on all the Justice Leaguers weaknesses. They would be ready even for Superman. Hopefully it would not come to that.

The Jedi Arrow was readying for takeoff, with Ahsoka at the controls. Under Skywalker's watch she had become one of the finest pilots in the Jedi Order. They were all seated in the Arrow's ample bridge. While all the Titans were apprehensive, Raven was more so. She did not care for space flight, especially since the run in with the screaming monster at the space station. She recalled getting sick and swallowing her own vomit to keep her compartment in the T-Ship from becoming a foul zero G mess.

The Arrow lifted off quickly but smoothly, going into a deep and fast climb out of Earth's atmosphere. As soon as they cleared the moon's orbit Ahsoka pulled on the hyper drive lever, at which point the Nav computer took over. Within minutes they dropped out of hyperspace into the outer regions of the Draconis nebula. Together with Blackfire and using the Force as a secondary guide she guided the ship into the hiding spot in the nebula, where they would be shrouded by several black holes. They were safe for now.

"It's been a long day for everyone, let's get some rest" Nightwing said.

"Nuvuti, Sleedo show everyone to their quarters. Give Raven and Garfield the Ambassador's room. I will take the first watch." Jarvik ordered. As the Titans departed for some well needed rest, Ahsoka approached Jarvik.

"Master, forgive me for doubting you."

"It's alright. It was the responsible thing to do after all. Of course that's why you trained Garfield behind my back, right?"

"Yes, I am sorry." She replied.

"Actually it's a good thing you did. We will need every Jedi we can get to defeat the enemy."

"Do you have a plan?"

"As a matter of fact I do." He smiled.

 _ **-(-)-**_

After dropping their bags on the floor Gar let himself fall onto the bed, back first, so that he faced the ceiling. Raven brushed her teeth at the small sink in the room.

"Did you regenerate your teeth yet?"

"No" she said as she rinsed her mouth. "I thought you said that missing teeth made me look hot."

"It does" he laughed. He then lunged and grabbed her, pulling her onto the bed.

At that moment Sleedo and Nuvuti walked past their quarters and heard giggles and other muffled sounds emerge from the couple's room. They stopped, rolled their eyes, and resumed walking.

"They don't sound tired to me." Nuvuti whispered to Sleedo.

"Why does everyone have fun but us? Sleedo replied.

"Is that a veiled marriage proposal?" She teased him.

"Could be, what you say?" he teased back.

"Not even if you were the only Rodian in the galaxy. Oh wait, you are!" she laughed.

Sleedo elbowed her and they both laughed as they walked to their quarters at the end of the hall. 

_**-(-)-**_

Ok, I'm not sure if Rodians can roll their eyes.

It sounds like Slade and Terra might be having second thoughts.

What will Ventress do to Earth?

Stay tuned, and please review.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 – Encounter Earth.

 _Tap, tap, tap…_

Raven woke up to sound of something rapping on metal.

 _Tap, tap, tap…_

She woke up slowly, which was unusual for her.

 _Tap, tap, tap..._

"Raven, Garfield, are you awake?" It was Nuvuti, knocking on their door.

"Just a minute." Raven responded.

Gar was lying behind her, two spoons in drawer style, his now beefy arms wrapped around her. He was sound asleep, snoring placidly. She gently wiggled free from his embrace and got out of the bed. Quietly she stepped over to her duffel bags that were still lying where Gar had tossed them the night before. She opened one and rummaged through it until she found the silk Japanese robe he gave her on their honeymoon. She put it on, covering her naked body, walked to the door, unlocked it and opened it.

"Please forgive me for interrupting your sleep Raven." Nuvuti said with a hint of embarrassment. "It is before the agreed upon time. But we have received news from Earth. Jarvik wants us all to meet in the conference room as soon as possible. I have to wake the others now." She stepped away and then stopped. "There will be something for breakfast. And I think your robe is very pretty." she smiled.

"Thanks, we'll be there right away." Raven replied as she closed the door.

She walked to the bed and kissed Gar on the cheek. "Wake up, lover boy, there's news from home." She spoke gently into his ear.

Gar stirred and opened his eyes. "What time is it?" he moaned.

"It's far too early. Jarvik will share the news with everyone in the conference room. I call dibs on the shower." Raven said.

"I'm hungry." Gar complained.

"Nuvuti said there would be breakfast."

"I hope it's better than what they serve at Chez Tamaran" he replied.

Raven gave him 'the look'.

"Yeah, it was a bad joke. Sorry." Both were thinking of their dear friend Starfire, who was in the enemy's clutches as Gar joked about Tamaranian food.

"The Jedi always ate our food with no complaints. We should return the favor." She stepped into the shower. _I hope I can figure out how to operate this thing._

"I hope they have something vegetarian…"

 _ **-(-)-**_

As the Star Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace into orbit above Earth, what Slade and Terra expected to see was in place. A Tamaranian fleet formed a ring around Earth's equator. They discerned the figures of the three Kryptonians (Superman, Boy and Girl) on an intercept course with the ship. He also saw Captain Marvel and his sidekick Captain Marvel Junior, as well as a few other Justice League types who can survive in outer space. They also saw the feeble Earth space fleet approaching them.

But they also saw a few things that they were not expecting. What appeared to be the full Centauri fleet appeared to be present, as well as some ships that were unknown to him, but which like the Centaurians did not appear to have enough teeth to be a threat to 'Palpatine's Hand'.

What did take Slade's breath away was what appeared to be hundreds if not thousands of Green Lanterns, from many different species.

"Where did they all come from?" Terra asked. I thought that there were only a few in the Milky Way.

"What is this Slade? I don't like surprises." Ventress snarled.

"They called for reinforcements. It appears that they have arrived from outside this galaxy. This is most unexpected, my understanding was that the Green Lantern Corps. Were engaged elswhere." Slade said in his thoughtful monotone.

He turned to Ventress. "It appears that our reputation got ahead of us. We should fall back and re-assess our strategy and tactics. The Green Lantern Corps. is a force to be reckoned with. "

"You give those costumed freaks too much credit, Slade."

"I think caution is reasonable." Slade replied.

"Get off my bridge, Slade. I will deal with you later." Ventress growled "Let's see them save Earth from our bombardment with their stupid rings."

Slade and Terra stealthily left the Hand's bridge. "You know what to do." he told her. She nodded and headed off to ships brig, while Slade headed off to the docking bay.

"Commander, you may begin bombing Earth at your discretion. Target the largest population centers first."

"With pleasure", the Imperial officer replied.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Terra's heart was hammering in her chest as she ran to the detention area. Ventress wasn't going to back down against obliterating Earth, even though there was no sign of the Jedi or the Titans. Slade was right, she is insane. And all those Green Lanterns! They had to get out of there before everything went to Hell in a hand basket.

As she reached the detention center she saw no guards present, but she still gripped her blaster tightly. She could hear that the battle had begun and Earth's defenders were hitting the ship with everything they had. She reached Starfire's cell and hit the open button. It didn't open. _Damn! They locked it before they left for their battle stations._ She aimed her blaster at the control panel at the guard station, which was still deserted. Upon firing and destroying the panel all the cell doors popped open and Starfire emerged from her cell. Alarms were now blaring.

"Star, the battle has begun; we need to get out of here! Can you throw star bolts?" Terra shouted as the ship's hull resonated under the allied fire.

Starfire ripped the now defunct power suppressing collar from her neck. "Yes, and more" she replied. I am ready to kick ass!"

 _About time she learned to speak English correctly_. "Forget that, we need to get off this ship ASAP."

Starfire quickly realized that it was Terra who needed to get off the ship, and that probably meant Slade too. She was insurance. Extra firepower to escape, nothing else. But heck, she wasn't about to stay in her detention cell as Ventress' guest. _It's time to blow this Popsicle stand!_

"Lead the way." The princess yelled.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Slade encountered more resistance on the way to the docking bay. Apparently every clone trooper had been ordered to shoot him on sight. It almost made him miss his fights with the Titans. _At least they never tried to kill me._

Finally he reached the hangar bay and there were dozens of Clone Troopers guarding the ships docked there, including Slade's silver Nubian ship. He retreated to a safe distance and waited. With Starfire's help he should be able take the troopers out quickly. He then heard the familiar sound of her star bolts, a sound he never thought he would be glad to hear, but was ecstatic to hear now. He called out to them and they were soon together.

He quickly shared his plan and they sprung into action. Starfire flew through the bay's main entrance; star bolts and eye beams ablaze. Terra and Slade entered via the secondary entrance, ambushing any troopers that Starfire might have missed.

They followed Slade onto the Nubian ship. Slade quickly prepared the ship for launch and they were soon away from the destroyer. Their escape has not gone unnoticed and Ventress ordered all batteries to focus on the fleeing ship.

Slade did his best to avoid the turbo laser salvos, but he couldn't avoid them all. Soon the Nubian's deflector shields were gone. Slade and Terra were wearing pressure suits, but given the fire power being thrown at them it was questionable what kind of protection they would afford them.

Slade deftly dodged the shots as he put distance between the two ships, but his luck eventually ran out. A well placed shot tore a rip in the Nubian's hull. Starfire heard the explosive decompression and decided that it was time to bail out. She flew out through a rip in the hull just as a second salvo hit the disabled ship followed by a massive explosion.

Starfire blacked out.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"So Slade and Terra are with them" Nightwing inquired.

"Yes, we left a few probe droids on the edge of the nebula. They received and are still receiving Tamaranian dispatches from Earth.

"Over 800 Green Lanterns were waiting for them? Booyah!" Cyborg shouted.

"Yes, and they were able to almost completely block the bombardment. 5 missiles did slip past them unfortunately. 3 fell into the oceans, but two did hit their targets. One destroyed Monterrey, Mexico and the other hit Lagos, Nigeria. The imperials then sent their fighters against the Green Lanterns. According to the latest report half of the imperial fighters were destroyed and the Star Destroyer, the "Palpatine's Hand" suffered minor damage before retreating." Ahsoka reported.

The conference room erupted into raucous cheering and celebrating upon hearing the news.

"Unfortunately there were casualties on our side, many casualties" She added "The Green Lantern Corp lost 47 members, The Tamaranians and Centaurians lost about half of their fleets. And Earth's fleet was completely destroyed."

The celebration ended as quickly as it had started.

"There is more." She continued. "This dispatch just arrived. A Nubian vessel attempted to flee the Hand, but was destroyed by turbo laser fire. Its three occupants were rescued by Green Lanterns and the Kryptonian called Kal-El, the latter who endured point blank turbo laser fire to complete the rescue. Two were humans, who were severely injured and the other was a Tamaranian, who is reported in good health. The Kryptonian was injured and is reported to be recovering."

Nightwing leaped to his feet. "Starfire! They rescued Starfire!" he shouted. The other Titans were on their feet as well, high fiving and hugging each other.

"Let's not celebrate prematurely. That has yet to be confirmed" Jarvik lectured the room.

After a pause Gar said "Those turbo lasers must pack a wallop if they injured Superman."

"Let's be thankful that they only have one Star Destroyer. If they had an entire fleet I don't know what we would do." Cyborg added.

"And it's up to us to keep it that way." Jarvik announced. "We cannot let that ship return home."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Starfire woke up with a splitting headache. As she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings she realized that she was in the bed and the apartment she shared with her husband Nightwing. Galfore and Ryand'r were at her side, as were BumbleBee and the rest of the Titans East team. She looked around the room, still in a bit of a daze looking for Nightwing and the other Titans.

"They are not here. They left with the Jedi hoping to draw the invaders away from Earth. We do not know of their whereabouts at this time." Galfore spoke.

Starfire rose from her bed and hugged her knorfka and then her brother, followed by the Titans East.

"Starfire, what happened up there?" Speedy asked.

"It is difficult to believe, but Slade and Terra freed me and we attempted to escape on Slade's ship. We were quickly hit by their fire and lost control of the ship. At that point I lost consciousness. We were not victorious." She dropped her head.

"How are Slade and Terra?" she asked in follow up.

"They suffered severe burns, but they will survive. Terra has been disfigured however. Perhaps in time with some skin grafts…" BumbleBee answered.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"So how are we supposed to destroy a ship that 800 Green Lanterns couldn't take down?" Cyborg asked.

"We will find a way." Ahsoka answered.

"Do we even know who or what is inside that ship?" Raven asked.

Jarvik paused, staring at his console.

"More news" Jarvik shared. "Asajj Ventress is onboard the destroyer."

"Ventress?" Ahsoka choked.

"Is Ventress a Sith?" Gar asked.

"No, but she comes awfully close." Ahsoka responded. "Technically she is a Dark Jedi, and I'll bet she brought some Dark Jedi apprentices along for the ride. I've had my share of personal encounters with her, and she's bad news."

"Great, this day can't get any worse." Raven moaned.

"Oh it can Raven, it can." Jarvik replied. "I need you to teleport all of us onto the destroyer."

Raven mouth dropped. "Are you serious? That's suicide! We can't possibly succeed."

"There is no other way." Jarvik replied somberly. He glanced at his console and announced "There is some good news. The three rescued near Earth were Starfire, Slade and Terra. Starfire is in perfect health is resting at the tower. "

"I knew it was her!" An ecstatic Nightwing howled.

"She survived. Thanks be to X'Hal." Blackfire snapped out of her gloominess. She now had prosthetic hands courtesy of one of the ships med droids. They looked life like, but Blackfire knew that she would never be able to conjure another star bolt ever again.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Master Yoda stared at the holographic image of Bail Organa, who was informing him of the trans-dimensional expedition being led by Ventress. "Seeking Master Katarra, she is" Yoda commented to Senator Organa. "Help him we must."

"But how can we, Master Yoda? I have no battleship at my disposal and even if I did, how could we jump dimensions? Only Sienar has that technology." Organa replied.

"Four tasks I have for you. First, the destination of Ventess ship we must find. Use the Bothan Spy Net we must. Second, four hundred of the finest Alderanean space warriors you must assemble, their loyalty to the Republic unquestioned. Third, a ship send to collect me on Dagobah and finally fourth meet me at these coordinates with your crew."

"But that's in the Wild Space. That section of the galaxy makes the outer rim look civilized."

"There find we will that which we need." Yoda replied.

 _ **-(-)-**_

OK, so I lied. I'm adding Yoda to the story.

And thanks for reading.

And some interesting Young Justice news. If you don't want spoilers, stop reading now, otherwise scroll down.

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Guess who is voicing Terra in YJ season 3? Tara Strong is! And Terra is working for Deathstroke and is infiltrating Young Justice as she did with the Titans in so many versions (comics, TV show, movie).

Whether or nor Terra plays BB remains to be seen, as BB already has a girlfriend: Queen Perdita of Vlatava, and BB seems pretty smitten with her. Can't see him trading down from a Queen to a mere Princess (Terra is a Princess of Markovia). We'll see what plot twists Greg Weisman comes up with.

Cyborg has also joined The Team. Might Raven and Starfire be next? It would be fun if Tara voiced both Raven and Terra, especially if they fight!

In other voice news, Khary Peyton isn't voicing Cyborg (Zeno Robinson is), not surprising as he has his hands full voicing Aqualad, Black Lightning, Silas Stone and various other characters. Also, they now have Greg Cipes voicing BB, though this version sounds a little different than in Teen Titans. Think BB all grown up, with a deeper voice.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 – A brief reprieve

Ventress was fuming. Her ship, the Palpatine's Hand was partially crippled, as its trans dimensional drives had been damaged. To make matters worse, the 5 crew members who could repair the drive died during Slade's escape, as all were assigned to guard duty at the docking bay when Slade and his minions attacked. She personally executed her XO for such a blunder. They were marooned in this dimension, at least until someone came searching for them.

If anyone ever came at all.

And to add insult to injury, Slade, his treacherous wife and the Tamaranian escaped and were rescued from certain death from those spandex clad do gooders.

For now she was forced to hide in a nebula, eavesdropping on any communications that they could intercept, which wasn't hard. Local encryption was a joke. Even an obsolete protocol droid could break the codes with two processors tied behind its back.

As soon as she found out where the Jedi were hiding, she would destroy them, even if it was the last thing she did. She would complete her mission.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The smuggler's ship was pulling away from the Tantive IV as Yoda and Bail Organa walked to the bridge.

"I have the dimension coordinates that Ventress jumped to with her Star Destroyer. It's a modified Venator, armed to the teeth."

"Good, track her down we will, and rescue my fellow Jedi." Yoda said with his jester like laugh.

"Aren't we missing something?" Organa replied.

Yoda turned to the Tantive's skipper. "Captain, to these coordinates take us." Yoda handed Captain Antilles a data pad. Antilles glanced at Senator Organa, who nodded.

"Lieutenant, plot a course in the nav computer using these coordinates." Antilles commanded.

Yoda made himself comfortable for the short trip. The Tantive was in hyper space for only a few minutes, and then dropped out in the middle of a huge interstellar asteroid field. It was very dark as the nearest star was 20 light years away.

Yoda took the controls of the Tantive and gently guided it through the field and after a few minutes he ordered the forward flood lights turned on. Organa gasped as his breath was nearly taken away.

"Dreadnoughts!" he exclaimed. "I thought that had all been destroyed."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing and Jarvik had gone off to meet in private, while everyone else had breakfast. Garfield looked especially glum.

"We never should have left earth. We ditched them when they needed us."

"We were trying to draw the Imperials away from Earth. It didn't work. We aren't infallible Gar. Sometimes we make mistakes." Raven reminded him.

"What if they attack another world? We might not be so lucky next time." Gar replied. "We have to get onboard that ship. Jarvik is right."

Raven gave him an angry glare. "So you can get killed? You think just because you look cool with a lightsaber that you will succeed? You heard what Ahsoka said, she probably has a legion of Dark Jedi with her."

"Slade said that he didn't see any other Dark Jedi. She might be so arrogant as to believe she didn't need to bring any help."

"He also didn't have full run of the ship, by his own admission. They might be there." She was getting angry with her husband.

"I'm going, Rae. It has to be done. If she gets away and brings reinforcements we're finished."

"Then I'm coming too, and I'm not letting you out of my sight." Raven had been very protective of Gar for quite some time.

"We make the best team, Rave, we'll kick some dark side butt together!"

"Don't get cocky, Gar. This is going to be our most dangerous mission ever. You know I want to have children someday. That'll be hard to do if we get killed." Gar could see the worry in her face.

"She's right B. I'm scared out of my mind. You should be too. Don't let that Jedi crap go to your head man. I already called dibs on being your first kid's Godparent, and I intend to collect on that."

"Thanks for siding with reason Cyborg" Raven agreed.

"So you're both coming to babysit me?"

"We're going to do what we have to do." Cy added "But that doesn't mean we're going to be stupid about it."

"Dudes! Give me some credit!"

They all fell silent, until Gar piped up. "You know, their food isn't all that bad."

Suddenly, Nightwing and Jarvik entered the room. Nightwing announced: "We're heading back to Earth."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Bail Organa stared in disbelief at the two dreadnoughts floating in front of the Tantive IV. The legendary vessels were believed to have been all destroyed many centuries ago.

"These two equipped with dimensional drives are" Yoda chuckled.

"How did you know of these ships?" Organa shook his head, still not believing what he eyes told him were there.

"Many centuries ago, when a young knight, assigned to an expedition I was. Visited other dimensions we did. Empty most were, but one with life we found."

"You did? What was it like?"

"A floating city it was. Its name was Azarath".

"Where the refugee's came from?"

"Yes"

"Are these dreadnaughts combat ready?"

"Ready for duty they were left. Only crews are needed. A few days for preparation are required"

"What are we waiting for?"

 _ **-(-)-**_

Starfire watched as the Jedi Arrow descended gracefully towards the Tower. As it alighted she flew towards it, anxiously waiting for its loading ramp to lower. The first to emerge from the ship was Nightwing. They kiss and embraced, tears streaming from their eyes. The rest of the Titans descended next, beaming at the sight of their two friends finally reunited.

The last passenger to disembark was Blackfire. Starfire saw her and released her husband from her embrace and walked up to her sister.

"Blackfire."

"Sister." She lowered her eyes. "Forgive me."

Starfire took her right hand and examined it "It looks so real…"

"It doesn't feel real" she replied.

"I am sure Garfield is sorry he did this to you"

"I deserved worse." she turned away, embarrassed to face her sister. "You are the good one, sister."

"Come with me, we have much to talk about." Starfire offered her hand. Blackfire accepted it and the two flew to the tower roof. The other Titans watched with confused looks on their faces.

"She ditched me! And for Blackfire?" Nightwing complained.

Raven placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stop fretting lover boy, she'll be all yours soon enough. She just realized that she has a sister again. Give her some time. Trust me, you won't be able to keep her off you tonight, if she can wait that long. Just try to keep it down though. Some people are planning on sleeping tonight." She grinned.

"You're one to talk. We could all hear you and Gar going like wild weasels every night on the Arrow." Nightwing retorted.

Raven's eyes became as big as saucers. Gar to his credit kept a straight face.

"What!?" she said as her eyes turned solid black. Gar gave him a look that conveyed a simple message: 'That was stupid.'

A short chapter this time. I was a little busy that day.

The next chapter will be better.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 – Here they come (again)

"Rae, relax, it's not his fault!" Gar had drawn her to him in a light embrace. He could literally feel the dark energy crackling through his own body. "Besides, he's probably exaggerating."

Raven cooled off and her eyes returned to their normal amethyst color, which he so loved.

"Nevermind" she mumbled while Gar mouthed 'you owe me big' to Nightwing.

"Whatever a 'wild weasel' sounds like, I can assure you I heard no such thing." Jarvik interrupted. "We have more serious matters to discuss, however".

The group entered the Tower and proceeded to the common room. Gar flew to the roof to summon the Princesses to the meeting.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Once Gar returned with Starfire and Blackfire, Jarvik addressed the group. "There is no doubt that Ventress is aware that we have returned. Since there are no reports of any wormholes opening we know that she is still in this dimension."

"We made sure that there were several easy ways to crack dispatches that told of our return" Nightwing added. "She knows that we are here, now we just need to convince her to try again."

"Will she really come here again after getting her butt kicked?" Asked Gar, why not just go home and come back with a dozen of those monster ships?"

"We've been wondering about that." this time it was Ahsoka "We know they have not left, but not why. Is she setting a trap for us? Or maybe the damage they suffered is keeping them here."

"These Dark Side types make Slade look like Forrest Gump." Raven shared dryly "I thought you Jedi were scary at first, but these guys are even scarier. Now I understand why Trigon wanted to form an alliance with the Sith."

"That is assuming that Slade is telling the truth." Starfire intoned.

"Yeah, there's always that." Nightwing agreed.

"They are watching us, of that we have no doubt. This time we will draw them after us."

"And then what, get shot out of the sky?" Cyborg asked.

"Exactly." Jarvik replied "But not until we teleport aboard their ship."

Everyone turned to Raven.

"Raven's powers won't be detected by any sensors aboard the Hand. We'll have the droids continue a suicide mission, ultimately ramming the Hand with the Arrow."

"And what do we do once we are on board? Raven asked, not liking where this was going. "Ahsoka, how large a crew should that ship have?"

"7,400, give or take a few hundred." she answered.

And the 10 of us are going to take them on, how?" Cyborg asked wide eyed.

"We could ask other Titans and Justice Leaguers to join us." Gar added.

"We have already asked the Green Lantern Corps. They volunteered 100 Green Lanterns. Batman and the new Robin have also volunteered to help." Nightwing added. "Everyone else will stay behind to defend Earth in case Ventress goes off the deep end."

"Our objective will be to sabotage the ship's reactor. We will be cutting it close, and will have to get off the ship quickly once the chain reaction begins." Ahsoka said.

"Make sure you have a Green Lantern nearby when that happens. They can get you safely off the ship and protect you from the vacuum and cold of space" Nightwing added. He turned to Raven "So are you on board with us Raven?"

They all knew that she was worried about Gar. She didn't think he was a weakling that needed protection. Far from it, he was an advanced Padawan now, almost a Knight. But she was afraid of losing him. No, she was terrified of losing him. She couldn't imagine life without him. During their engagement they often discussed hanging up the spandex and just becoming an ordinary couple (OK, an ordinary green and grey couple with super powers). She fantasized about becoming an author and Gar being a veterinarian, and having the proverbial 2.8 children while living in a sprawling ranch in the countryside. At times like this, she felt that fantasy could never be.

"OK I'm in, but if something happens to…."

"Rae, you're embarrassing me!"

"Shut up, Gar. I'm sticking to you like glue. Understand?"

"She's got you whipped green bean." Cy chuckled, making a whip gesture with his hand. Raven glared at him.

"Whipped?" she growled "I'll show you what 'whipped' is, tin man!"

"Drop it, Cy. Maybe if you were married you'd understand." Gar snapped at his best friend. He moved closer to Raven and grasped her hand tightly.

After an awkward pause Nightwing continued "Right, now that has been settled Ahsoka is going to go over the layout of a Venator class ship."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Ventress and her new XO, a Clone officer, had been strategizing on the best way to ambush the Jedi. They had ruled out a second assault on Earth and instead decided to wait for the Jedi to leave the relative safety of Earth and the hundreds of Green Lanterns who were still stationed there.

The field intelligence unit on the ship was working overtime decoding and processing every message that they intercepted.

Finally, they got the break they were hoping for. A strongly encrypted message said that the Jedi Arrow was going to rendezvous the penal colony on Eridani 4, where they would drop off the Tamaranian known as Komand'r to complete her prison sentence, then proceed to Tamaran to deliver the Titans and the Jedi to attend the wedding of the Crown Prince Ryand'r. There had been other dispatches during the week confirming the upcoming wedding. It sounded legitimate.

"Commander, we will intercept the Jedi Arrow as it exits hyperspace above Eridani 4. I want no mistakes this time ,commander." Her voice was as cold as deep space itself.

"We will be victorious, My Lady. The Jedi scum will not escape." He replied.

"I hope so for your sake, commander. Keep in mind that there are over 7000 replacements for you." she threatened him.

The clone turned away from her and plotted a course to Eridani 4.

Ventress left him and walked to her private section of the ship, where her quarters were located. Once she was past the guarded entrance she proceeded to the training room. As she entered the room she saw several of her apprentices engaged in light saber dueling. They stopped as soon as she entered the room, turned towards her and bowed.

"I have new instructions for you."

"Yes mistress", the lead apprentice replied.

"Jarvik has taken on an apprentice. He is a changeling, much more gifted than the Clawdites. I wish to capture him and present him to the Emperor as a gift" _. Assuming we ever get home_ she thought. He is young and inexperienced and should be easy to capture." she said while inserting data card into a console. An image of Garfield and Raven appeared on the screen.

"The green one is the Padawan. The grey one is his mate and is a half demoness. Do not underestimate her, as according to Slade's information she is Trigon's daughter". At this the dark apprentices opened their eyes very wide. "She will protect her mate fiercely, so I recommend eliminating her first….if you can."

She flicked a switch and the image switched to Nightwing. "He is an ordinary human but again do not underestimate him." She flipped another switch and there was a video of Nightwing in combat against a platoon of Sladebots, easily destroying them. "He reminds me of the old Mandalorians, so beware."

Next up was Cyborg. "This individual is full of primitive cybernetic and mechanical implants, but he is cunning and brave. He can convert his arms into sonic canons and has the ability to fly.

Finally it was Starfire and Blackfire's turn. "These two are Tamaranians. The red head used to be in our custody until Slade freed her. The other is her sister. The red head is married to the masked freak I showed you earlier and she too is highly protective of him. The Tamaranians possess super human strength. They can survive in a vacuum. They can also launch energy blasts from their hands (she did not know of Blackfire's condition) and energy beams from their eyes. They can also fly so do not underestimate them.

"Mistress, are we to capture the other Jedi as well?" the lead apprentice asked.

"No, you have my permission to destroy them. But do not harm the changeling. Retreat from him if you must. I will capture him myself."

"And what if he resists?

"Then I will be forced to destroy him myself." She replied.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The Titans knew that the trap had to set carefully or Ventress might not fall for it. Since it took a few days to convincingly fake Ryand'r's wedding, they had some time to prepare for the mission.

Jarvik and Ahsoka took turns teaching the Titans and their allies on how to defend themselves from Force attacks. Unfortunately only Raven and the Green Lanterns were able to fend off some of the simpler attacks. The rest of the Titans as well as Batman and Robin failed miserably.

Most impressive was the training that Gar received to defend himself from 'Force Lightning' as Jarvik insisted on calling it. He quickly learned to absorb the lightning with his light saber. He wasn't as successful with his bare hands, even though Jarvik claimed that had there been more time for training he would have had some success. It wasn't easy for Raven to watch, as poor Gar often got zapped by the lightning, sometimes it was pretty bad.

"Can I try?" She asked Jarvik, in part to buy Gar a break.

"Are you sure you want to, Raven?" Ahsoka asked. "It's a horrible experience."

"Better now than at the hand of a Dark Jedi." She replied.

"Very well." Jarvik replied. "I'll start off easy and work our way up."

Gar found a place to sit in the bleachers and watch. He was very worried about this. "Don't get carried away Raven, I don't want you to get hurt." He shouted.

"I'm not some frail little girl Gar, stop worrying".

"Oh, so it's OK for you worry about me, but not the other way around?" he complained.

"Shut up, you big baby".

Gar frowned, then sat back down.

Raven turned to Jarvik and went into her fighting stance, while she conjured a large black shield in front of her. "I'm ready".

Jarvik extended his hand and the lighting leaped from it and was absorbed into the shield. Raven winced in pain. Jarvik stopped.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"I'm fine, let's kick this up a few notches. Use the same level you used with Gar."

"Are you certain?" he asked.

"Just do it!" she snapped.

Gar held his breath, fearing the worst. It was. The lightning, this time much brighter, leaped once again from Jarvik's fingers. As soon as it hit Raven's shield she screamed in pain and collapsed. Jarvik immediately stopped the lightning. Tendrils of stray lightning wandered over Raven's still convulsing body. Gar was at her side in no time, drawing the residual lightning into his bare hands, wincing in pain as he did so.

The first thing Raven saw when she regained consciousness was a pair of worried emerald eyes staring down at her. "Oh Gar, I thought I was going to die." She moaned.

"I think that's enough training for today." Jarvik announced. "Let's meet after dinner on the Arrow, I have some armor for you Titans to wear, and some Jedi armor for you Gar."

He looked at Raven "Raven, go take a nap. It's the best way to shake it off. Drinking fluids helps as well. Gar, make sure she rests."

Gar nodded, picked Raven up bridal style and carried her off to their suite. As they exited the gym Cyborg picked up the following whisper with his bionic ear: 'You know Rave, it wouldn't kill you to listen to me once in a while. I'm right more often than you think.' She then rested her head on Gar's shoulder and mumbled 'You were right, I'm sorry.' Cyborg immediately regretted teasing his friend earlier about being 'whipped'. _He did tame our little sorceress after all, who else could have done that?_ Cyborg knew that everyone but Gar was intimidated by Raven's dark powers. _Who am I kidding? He ain't whipped!_

Nightwing then turned to Batman. "How do we defend against that? Raven is the most powerful Titan and she couldn't fend off the lightning."

Batman replied "We can't, but there only a handful of Dark Jedi. Most of the opposition will be clone troopers. You do realize that you, Robin and I will need to arm ourselves with blasters?"

"Yes, I have been training. They are powerful weapons."

"Time to get some rest before dinner. Tomorrow we set the trap." Batman concluded. "So you will keep Raven and Gar together in the mission I suppose?"

"Like I have any choice. How about you join Starfire and me for dinner?"

"Sure. What about Tim?"

"Have him join us as well; I'll set him up with Blackfire." He grinned wickedly.

"So it's true, you have become evil." the Dark Knight chuckled.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The following morning the crew was boarding the Jedi Arrow. Raven and Nightwing were clad in Republic issue plastoid battle armor, and Raven wore her white cloak over her armor.

"I feel like an armadillo" she complained. The armor was incredibly lightweight and she was having a hard time believing it offered any real protection.

Gar was wearing Jedi battle armor, which was similar to regular armor but provided somewhat less protection in exchange for greater flexibility.

Cyborg was his usual self. The Green Lanterns refused any armor. The Tamaranians wore their own armor including special battle helmets. Batman and Robin wore their own Bat-Armor. They along with Nightwing were issued a Republic carbine blaster, with enough rounds to last all day.

Blackfire had two Republic carbines slung over shoulders. Nightwing approached and asked: "Ready?"

"Lock n load" she replied. She had always been good with American slang.

Nightwing lingered with her for a moment. Then he said "I forgive you."

"Thank you Richard. Thank you my friend…my brother." She embraced him and he hugged her back.

Suddenly Ahsoka's voice was heard over a loudspeaker. "This is the Captain. Secure the ship for takeoff."

Within a few minutes they were breaking orbit, preparing to jump to Eridani 4.

"Are there any reports on the whereabouts of the star destroyer?" Nightwing inquired.

"None" Jarvik replied "But I'll bet you an Italian dinner at Benini's that they will be there when we arrive."

Nightwing was pretty sure that was a bet he would lose.

"I'll treat everyone to dinner at Benini's after this is over." He promised instead.

Ahsoka pulled the hyperdrive lever and the familiar star stretching effect made its appearance as they made the jump into hyper space.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Ok, we're getting close to the final conflict. Action is not my strong suit, so I will write the next chapters with extra care and thought.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 23 – The day has come

The Titans sat quietly in the Arrow's bridge, watching hyperspace slip past them as the ship moved at speeds that were beyond any other ship in the galaxy, except for the Hand. They would arrive at Eridani 4 in mere minutes; instead of the usual hours it would take a local (say a Tamaranean) ship to traverse that distance. They all wore grim expressions, knowing what awaited them and secretly hoping it wouldn't be there.

Just then the Nav computer chimed and they dropped out of hyperspace. Palpatine's Hand was waiting for them.

"Battle stations!" Jarvik shouted. Jarvik took the forward systems, while Nuvuti, Sleedo and Gar each took control of port, starboard and aft defense systems.

"I've got fighters all over me!" Gar yelled. "They're targeting propulsion systems."

"Deploy the Green Lanterns! Ahsoka, get us closer to the destroyer, we're still too far for Raven to teleport us!"

The Green Lanterns exited from the ship's airlocks and quickly engaged the fighters, buying Gar some precious time. Meanwhile the Arrow was throwing everything it had at the Imperial ship, which so far was able to absorb the salvos.

As the battle ensued the other Titans, Batman and Robin could only watch. Raven walked over to Gar's station and sat behind him, careful to not distract him. Despite the Lantern's help the fighters were still getting shots at the propulsion system.

"Master, our reactor is overheating. Unless we can cool it I'll have to eject it before it goes critical" Ahsoka screeched over the din of alarms and explosions outside the hull.

"Why are they focusing on the propulsion system?" Cyborg yelled. "It's the toughest part of the ship. It would be easier to take us down if they targeted the mid section of the ship."

"They want to take us alive!" Ahsoka shouted in realization.

"Ahsoka, shut off the reactor. Let us drift! Cease fire!"Jarvik commanded.

Just then a tractor beam locked onto the Arrow while fire from the destroyer also ceased.

"Recall the Green Lanterns! This is perfect. I was hoping this might happen."

Hal Jordan was the first Green Lantern to enter the bridge. "So it's plan B, right?" he said.

"Correct. Once they have us in their docking bay they will try to board the ship. Hold them back as long as you can as that will buy us time. Raven will teleport the strike team to the destroyer. Once we signal you engage the auto destruct and wait for us outside. We will try to escape using their escape pods once their reactor goes critical, but there is a chance that some of us will get 'spaced' and will require immediate rescue. Our armor, under suits and helmets will provide us with about 60 seconds of protection from the vacuum." Jarvik instructed.

Jordan nodded as the ship shuddered. It was now secured in the docking bay.

"Prepare for teleporting." Nightwing instructed.

The strike team assembled in the middle of the bridge. Raven took over "Jedi in middle, except for Gar. Also Batman, Robin and Blackfire in the middle. Titans, surround them and hold hands, I'm going to need to borrow the dark energy I gave you when we fought Trigon."

As they held hands they could feel the dark energy flow. Raven closed her eyes and uttered her mantra "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

They were engulfed by a hemisphere of darkness and once they could see again they found themselves in the middle of a deserted trooper barracks. They pulled off the plan without a hitch. They were onboard and the enemy was none the wiser. For now.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The Clone Troopers were unable to breach the Green Lanterns' defenses and could not board the Jedi Arrow. There was a Green Lantern stationed at every hatch on the Arrow, with two backups. The Green shields seemed to be impervious to anything that was thrown at them. Blasters, grenades even light artillery could not breach them.

Ventress was losing her patience. It had been 20 minutes since the first attempt to board the ship. She was tempted to just blow it up and be done with it, but she really wanted to capture the changeling Padawan. She turned to her chief assault officer with a frown that made him age a year in one minute.

"Options?" her voice was as cold as ice.

"We crack the ship open like an egg." He responded. "There's no way they can keep us out if we do that."

"Do it, but do not fail me. My patience is exhausted with these primitives."

Ventress then pressed a button on her communicator "Yunn, come to the docking bay and bring all the others with you. It's time to capture the changeling."

"Yes mistress" he replied. "We are on our way".

 _ **-(-)-**_

The strike team huddled in the empty room. They needed to find the best path to the reactor, the one with the fewest Clone Troopers.

Raven tried to use her powers to sense the troopers.

"I can't discern a safe path. There are just too many troopers on the ship."

"Neither can I." Jarvik added.

Cyborg shook his head. "Forget about using my sensors, they'll just give us away."

Gar looked up "I'll go." He handed his light saber to Raven and morphed into a fly. She hated it when he morphed into insects, as she felt he was very vulnerable in that form. But she understood that stealth was paramount for this mission.

"Be careful, if you get hurt I'll kill you." She admonished him.

Gar flew into Ravens face and buzzed loudly to protest her over protection, before vanishing around a corner. After what seemed like an eternity to Raven he returned.

"Not good." Gar reported "There is no unguarded path to the reactor. Ventress must be very paranoid."

"We need a new plan" Nightwing interrupted. "We need to create a distraction."

Jarvik pondered the situation. "Nightwing is right. Let's separate into two groups. Ahsoka, you team up with Raven and Gar. The rest of us will attack the reactor room and draw the troopers away, allowing Ahsoka's team to then move in and set the detonators."

It was decided that Starfire would team up with Nightwing and her sister, Cyborg with Batman and Robin while Jarvik would team up with his Padawans. The three Jedi would launch a false attack on the reactor and withdraw, luring the guards away into a trap. Meanwhile Ahsoka, Raven and Gar would stage the real assault on the reactor.

"The plan is sound." Batman said "But must be executed perfectly to work. There is no room for error."

"I can teleport us into the reactor control room on your signal Jarvik" Raven said.

They all nodded in agreement and prepared for the assault.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Three batteries of cutting lasers were in place in the launch bay. They would cut the Arrow into 4 slices exposing the habitat portions of the ship, making it impossible to repel boarding. It would take some time to complete the task, but Ventress knew that time was on her side.

 _You will be mine, changeling, all mine. Maybe I'll keep you for myself, instead of presenting you to the Emperor_.

Out of the corner of his eye, the assault chief thought that he saw a lustful smile on her face. _None of my business_ the clone thought to himself.

Ventress's communicator shrieked to life "Mistress, there was an attack on the reactor room!"

"What!?" Ventress screeched back at the communicator.

"Three Jedi tried to commandeer the reactor control room, but we repelled them." He reported proudly. "I sent 3 of my 4 platoons to pursue them."

 _Three Jedi?_ She thought to herself.

"The ship was a ruse." She screamed "Eject it and destroy it. Yunn, come with me. Vixx, take the others and help capture the Jedi."

 _ **-(-)-**_

"OK, that's our cue. Get ready to teleport and fight once we arrive" Raven warned. They would still have to take out a whole platoon of Clone Troopers, which meant they would have to kill or be killed. _I hope that I can handle this._

Raven stood behind Ahsoka and Gar, placing a hand on each one's shoulder. She whispered her mantra and they once again found themselves engulfed in a hemisphere of darkness.

The platoon stared surprised at the black hemisphere that appeared before them. They saw two Jedi emerge from it, light sabers ablaze and a third, hooded individual who flew above them.

Before they could even cock their blasters Ahsoka and Gar had already mowed down a dozen of them. They began firing but the two Jedi deflected their shots right back at them, taking more of them down. A few saw Raven and shot at her, but her dark shields held firm. Raven then gestured and the black energy attacked her assailants, snapping their necks. Raven grimaced, feeling sick about taking not just one, but several lives. She felt sorry for the clones. _They're just pawns in this battle._

The battle lasted all of three minutes. Raven ran to Gar "Are you OK?" she asked as she embraced him.

"How tender. They gray girl loves the green changeling." A voice that Ahsoka recognized hissed in a decidedly evil tone.

Ahsoka whipped around to the source of the voice.

"Ventress!" she snarled.

"So Ahsoka, what are you going to do now that Skywalker isn't here to protect your sorry orange ass?" Ventress laughed as she ignited her two light sabers. "Yunn, kill the gray girl, but save the changeling for me."

Yunn pulled out a lightsaber, which he activated. The familiar snap/hiss sound echoed in the reactor room.

Ventress turned to Gar "You will be mine, boy".

"Fat chance, bitch!" Raven snarled back, her eyes glowing red and her hands glowing with dark energy as she levitated "You're going down!"

 _ **-(-)-**_

The XO watched from the bridge as the Jedi Arrow tumbled away from the Hand.

"Target all turbo lasers on that ship" he ordered. "If it's not destroyed Ventress will have our head on a platter!"

A barrage of turbo laser fire pelted the Arrow as the clone XO watched in satisfaction. What he saw next wasn't as pleasing. Two huge oval shaped ships dropped out of hyperspace and began firing on the hand. The Arrow came to life and joined in on the attack.

"What are those?" he asked his tactical officer.

"I'm not sure sir, but they look like old Republic dreadnoughts."

The XO stared in disbelief. "That's impossible" he whispered, then he gathered himself. "Even if they really are dreadnoughts, they're relics, at least a thousand years old. They're can't be a match for us. Return fire!"

 _ **-(-)-**_

The three Jedi led the pursuing platoons of Clone Troopers into the ambush as planned. The ambush came from two sides. Nightwing and the Tamaranians hit the troopers from the right with a combination of blaster fire, star bolts and eye beams. They never knew what hit them. Batman and Robin fired their blasters and used an assortment of bat weapons to dispatch the stragglers, while Cyborg used his patented sonic canon to take down his share. The survivors turned to flee but were cut off by the Jedi. The ambush took less than 2 minutes to complete.

The team then headed back to the reactor room when they heard massive explosions resonate through the ship.

"Was that the reactor?" Blackfire asked.

Then they heard several more explosions resonate on the hull. Nightwing whipped out his communicator "Hal, what's going on?"

"Two more alien ships appeared and are attacking the Hand, and are beating it pretty badly. We're trying to hail them, but without any success. You need to get out of there now." The human Green Lantern replied.

"Guys, we have to find the others" Cyborg yelled about the din.

Starfire tried her communicator "Raven, Garfield, Ahsoka, come in!" There was no reply.

Suddenly the group found itself under fire. This time there were hundreds of troopers, who cut them off from the only path to their comrades. And there were several Dark Jedi with them.

"Nightwing, we have to retreat. There are too many troopers." Jarvik's voice conveyed a sense of urgency.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Ventress attacked Ahsoka with pure and unadulterated fury. She had been waiting for this day for years. "I look forward to telling Skywalker that I finished you myself" she grinned wickedly. "The last time I saw him he said that he no longer has any feelings for you. I think he's lying." Ventress laughed as she chased Ahsoka around the chamber. Ahsoka desperately fended for herself, not sure how long she would last.

Yunn wasn't faring as well as his mistress. Raven was holding her own against the Dark Padawn. He tried using Force Lightning, but his attack was feeble and blocked by Gar who drew the lightning to himself to protect his mate, who glared at him when she saw the pain he was in.

Yunn made his move upon Raven's distraction. He hit her with a force blow directly to her head and she stumbled and fell. Gar leaped to Raven's defense, blocking Yunn's light saber strike which would have severed Raven's head. In his fury Gar overpowered Yunn, finishing him off with a lateral slash to the abdomen, slicing him in half.

Ventress noticed Yunn's demise and grabbed Ahsoka with a powerful Force choke hold until she had almost fainted then slammed her into the bulkhead behind her. Ahsoka slumped down onto the floor, unconscious.

Ventress turned to Raven and struck her with a powerful bolt of Lightning, and unlike Yunn's feeble attempt hers was very effective. The lightning gripped Raven and lifted her from the ground. The only sound Raven made was a quick gasp. Ventress released her and Raven's body slammed into the hard floor, unconscious and smoldering.

Ventress turned to Gar. "You are mine, changeling." She licked her lips, as if in anticipation of a good meal. "Come with me and I will spare them. I will complete your training."

Garfield stared at her in disgust, and spat at her.

"That's no way to treat your future mate." She purred.

She had gone too far, and something snapped inside Gar. Ventress first noticed the feral look in his eyes before he began to grow. She knew he was a changeling but had never seen a transformation like this. Clawdites were humanoids and the best they could do was transform into other humanoids, be what she saw was a mountain grow before her, transforming into a nightmarish creature. Gar completed his transformation as he morphed into the Beast. With a lighting flash swipe it slashed at her with a speed she had never seen before. His right claw ripped into her left arm, and she dropped one of the two sabers she wielded. She screamed in pain and withdrew, protecting herself with her still good right arm and hand, which held onto the other light saber. Garfield morphed back into his normal self.

Both Ahsoka and Raven had regained consciousness but were still too weak to rejoin the battle. Both had witnessed Gar's successful attack against Ventress. Raven struggled to get on her feet.

Ventress realized that she would not be able to capture Gar and make him hers. _If I can't have him, neither can the gray girl._

Gar saw his opportunity to finish Ventress. He attacked her with a fury that he didn't know he had. But Ventress, even wounded, was a magnificent dueler. They moved around the chamber, battling so swiftly that all Raven saw was a blur. Ahsoka was now rising to her feet and Raven was preparing to join with Gar battling Ventress.

Gar had his back to Raven and was beginning to overpower Ventress, who had been losing blood from her wounded arm. Ventress grinned and launched another round of lightning at Raven, Gar reacted quickly and blocked it with his light saber.

And then Raven's worst nightmare became reality as she saw Ventress's blade emerge through Gar's back, who then collapsed onto the floor.

Raven stared in horror before a scream escaped her lips "NOOOOOOO!" Raven's scream was full of dark energy and reverberated throughout the ship.

She fell to her knees. _Gar! She killed my Gar! She killed him!_

 _ **-(-)-**_

Bet you didn't see that coming.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Unexpected Victory

"Fall back! Fall back!" Nightwing shouted at the top of his lungs. But it was no longer possible. They were trapped in a small docking bay. On one side they were surrounded by hundreds of troopers and on the other side was the vacuum of space. They were trapped.

Suddenly they heard what could at best be described as supernatural scream, and they all recognized it as being Raven's. The Titans looked puzzled and fearful.

"What has happened to Raven?" Starfire asked in a fearful voice.

Jarvik closed his eyes and focused on the Force. "Not Raven, it's Garfield. Something terrible has happened to him."

"No" Cyborg stammered "it can't be."

The team was in the grip of fear, not knowing what was happening to their friends, only knowing that something terrible had happened.

Jarvik's eyes snapped open. "We have company" he told the others. Six Dark Jedi entered the bay, deflecting the team's blasters and star bolts.

"We'll take them." Jarvik informed the non-Jedi. "Troopers will be coming next. Be prepared for them."

A whirlwind battle began in the small Bay. Jarvik took on three Dark Jedi while Nuvuti and Sleedo battled with the others. Jarvik quickly dispatched one of his opponents. Then as he predicted, a stampede of troopers stormed the bay, blasters blazing. The Titans and the Bat Clan fought back, but could not fight them off quickly enough.

Nightwing turned to his former mentor "Any ideas?" Batman shook his head. The outlook was grim.

Suddenly there was a huge explosion, and everyone turned their attention to the exterior bulkhead, which was peeling away like a banana peel. The explosive decompression was fierce and everyone in the bay was sucked out into the vacuum.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven stood up, facing Ventress. Her face was in its demonic form, with two pairs of red eyes. In a deep, almost masculine voice she growled "You will pay for this."

Ventress laughed "I do not fear you, Raven daughter of Trigon! You will be my next trophy."

Ahsoka had already approached Gar's body and was quietly examining it.

Raven heard a voice in her mind. "Let me take over." It begged. "I will make her regret ever being born". It was Rage. Raven had kept Rage under control ever since Gar and Cyborg helped her capture her in Nevermore. She had sworn to never let Rage run free again, but was sorely tempted to break that promise at the moment, even if it meant that she could never regain control again.

"Raven!" it was Ahsoka "Gar is still alive, but just barely!"

"I can heal him!" Raven shouted back, the fearful hope evident in her voice. As she reached Gar's side he turned to Ahsoka, still wearing her demon face. "End her!" she growled. Ahsoka nodded, her face full of anger and lunged at Ventress.

Raven sent her soul self inside of Gar's chest to examine the damage. To her immense relief Ventress missed his heart and spine. His left lung was a mess however, and two ribs were cut. There was little internal bleeding, as the wound was cauterized by the light saber itself. Gar had somehow managed to partially dodge Ventress's jab, which is why he was still alive. He was in terrible shape though.

Raven retreated back into her body and lay her hands on Gar's chest. He convulsed from the pain of her healing powers. "Stay with me Gar!" she pleaded.

Gar slowly regained consciousness and extended his hand towards his fallen lightsaber, willing it to come to him. It rolled along the floor into his hand.

"I need to help Ahsoka, she's in trouble" he croaked, his voice but a whisper.

Raven turned and saw Ahsoka sprawled on her backside, frantically fending off Ventress's vicious strikes. Raven did not know that when Ventress threw Ahsoka against the bulkhead that she cracked three of the Togrtan's ribs. Ahsoka was indeed in trouble.

With a swift gesture of her saber Ventress disarmed Ahsoka, whose lightsaber flew away.

"I have waited long for this day, Tano!" Ventress yelled as she raised her blade above her head to deliver the final strike.

Ahsoka braced herself for the end, but then heard the familiar snap-hiss. Ventress screamed in pain as Ahsoka saw a purple blade poke through Ventress's chest. This time the aim was precise, as the blade had pierced her heart, completely destroying it. As Ventress fell Ahsoka was able to see her savior.

It was Raven, who clutched Gar's lightsaber with both hands. Since Raven was outside the Force Ventress never sensed her approach.

"My name is Raven Logan, you bitch! Not Raven, daughter of Trigon". A four eyed Raven howled, then spat at Ventress's corpse.

Raven dropped the lightsaber returned to Gar's side to continue healing him. Ahsoka joined her and injected some Bacta into Gar's chest.

Suddenly claxons and alarms began to sound in the reactor control panel. Then there was a voice heard over the PA system.

"This is the XO speaking. The reactor has reached critical levels and will soon explode. All hands abandon ship. I repeat, all hands abandon ship."

"We need to get to an escape pod now." Ahsoka told Raven "There is one nearby."

The two women picked Gar up by the arms and dragged him out of the room.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Cyborg realized what had happened. He and the rest of the team had been sucked out into the vacuum of space. With his artificial eye he could see the Jedi Arrow and two round shaped alien ships pummeling the Palpatine's Hand, which looked terrible. He also saw Starfire clinging to Nightwing while Blackfire was with the Batman and Robin, rushing the 3 to the Jedi Arrow. He then saw the 3 Jedi floating and using his rockets he approached them and collected them, knowing that time was precious and that their suits were not meant to endure extended exposure to a vacuum.

Cyborg was beginning to feel the effects of the vacuum as he approached the Arrow. As he entered the airlock with the Jedi he saw that the princesses were heading back out, no doubt to search for Raven, Gar and Ahsoka. It was then that he noticed that escape pods were fleeing the Hand. That could only mean that the ship was ready to explode _. I hope they're in one of those pods._ Then with no warning, the Palpatine's Hand exploded in a huge fireball.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven saw the empty escape pod first and they rushed into it as quickly as possible. Ahsoka entered the launch sequence command and the pod burst free from the destroyer, like a cork popping from a champagne bottle.

Raven was cradling Gar in her arms, tears streaming down her face. She stroked his hair and repeatedly kissed the crown of his head. Ahsoka put her hand on Raven's shoulder.

"We made it." Ahsoka sighed, still wincing from her rib injuries. Then she frowned as she felt a warning in the Force. "Raven! Brace yourself…"

Ahsoka was unable to finish her warning as the Hand exploded. The primary systems in the pod went offline, most likely fried by the tremendous subspace pulse created by the hyper matter that was destroyed in the explosion. Only the emergency light and life support systems continued to work. The pod went into zero G mode and began to tumble.

Raven became nauseous and began to dry heave (she had skipped eating solids before the mission in anticipation of this).

"Are you OK Raven?" Ahsoka noticed that Raven was as green as her husband.

"I don't do well in zero G." She sputtered. "I'll be OK".

After she said this the pod stopped tumbling. Turning to the view ports they saw two friendly Tamaranian faces smiling at them. Starfire mouthed "Is Gar OK?" Ahsoka gave her thumbs up as the two alien princesses hauled the escape pod back to Arrow.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Two weeks had passed since the battle.

Raven and Gar were on the tower roof, sitting on a couch that Cyborg had hauled up there, staring at the bay.

"How are you feeling today?" the sorceress asked her husband.

"Better" he replied. "The tightness in my chest is gone. Except for the exterior scars I would never know that she made a Gar-Kabob out of me. I still don't remember being impaled. Let's see those teeth you're growing."

She gave him a big grin. There was no longer any sign of her run in with Blackfire.

"Looking good." He then fell silent, almost Zen like.

She squeezed his hand and laid her head on his shoulder. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

He paused before answering "Raven, who am I? What am I?" he asked in a whisper.

"You are Garfield Mark Logan, my husband, my lover, my best friend. Nothing else matters."

"Are you sure nothing else matters? I have been a Titan for so many years and until recently I was Beast Boy."

"The local media has accepted your new alter ego."

"Changeling? I guess. But that's not who I am. Is it?"

"No, its not. So, are you a still a Titan?"

"I think so; we are a family after all. I suppose I'll always be a Titan."

"And what about the Jedi?"

He dropped his head and sighed.

"I don't know. I struck out when fighting Ventress. I don't see how I could pass the trials. And I'm supposed to build my own lightsaber. Fat chance of that happening."

"You defeated her apprentice, and you had her on the ropes. She just got lucky. Cyborg could help you build your lightsaber with the crystal Ahsoka gave you. Believe it or not she was very impressed with your performance against Ventress."

"I suppose." he paused again "Master Yoda asked me to meet with him. In private." He added. "I wouldn't be surprised if he asked me to give my lightsaber back to Ahsoka."

"When are you going to forgive yourself? Ahsoka tells me that Ventress even posed a challenge to her old master. Even now that she's a Knight she couldn't defeat her."

"Funny how it was you that took her down with my lightsaber."

"I was lucky. She was so focus on finishing Ahsoka off that she never saw me coming."

"I guess it's good to be lucky."

"Damn straight." Raven replied "I fell for you, didn't I?"

Gar laughed.

"I'm going to visit Terra, she's being discharged from the hospital." He changed the subject.

"Terra?"

"Didn't you hear? Slade escaped and ditched her."

"He did? I thought the med droids rebuilt her face?"

"It's not her face that needs fixing."

"I see" she replied "just don't give her any false hope, understand?"

"Yeah, I know. I think she has accepted that we are a 'permanent' couple."

"Marriage will do that to you. Oh, and I forgot to tell you. Starfire just told me she's pregnant."

Gar laughed. "I wonder what her food cravings will be. Normal food?"

 _ **-(-)-**_

Terra was preparing to leave the hospital. The Republic med droids work was complete and they had been collected by Yoda's crew. Terra's only problem was that she had nowhere to go. All of her bank accounts had been seized due to her marriage with Slade. She had no home and no money. Oh well, she had lived under the stars before, she could do it again. _It could be worse. At least I wasn't charged with any crime._

She heard footsteps entering her room and turned to see who it was.

"Hey BB!" she greeted him. "Am I glad to see you!"

Gar winced at being called "BB". Only Cyborg was allowed to call him that. He decided to let it slide.

"Hey Terra. I thought I'd come in and check in on you. Did those med droids treat you well?

"I can't complain. They rebuilt my face. You really can't tell that it was repaired, can you?"

"I can't. It looks as good as new. So what are you doing next?"

"Camping, I suppose. You wouldn't happen to have a spare sleeping bag I could borrow?"

"It doesn't have to be that way."

She gazed at the floor. "I know. I'm an idiot. I could have had you, and instead I married Slade."

"That's not what I meant Terra. You were once a Titan. The Wayne Foundation has a fund to pay for college for retired Titans. You should go to college Terra. You're pretty smart, you know."

"Which is why I dumped you a second time and ran off with Slade."

"Stop beating yourself up. No one is perfect."

"You are." She replied. "And now you are Raven's and will never be mine again"

"Terra, don't dwell on that. Besides, I was never really yours. We wouldn't have worked together. I was wrong for you. And you knew that, which is why you rejected me twice. But why Slade? I mean, you can do a lot better than Slade."

"Who else would have me?"

"You have to be kidding? You're smart and beautiful. Go to college Terra. Start over with a clean slate. I'll help you get your marriage to Slade annulled. You will have never been married to him."

Terra began to cry. "Why are you doing this? Why do you care about me? You have Raven."

"Remember what you told me in the cave?"

She nodded "How could I forget? I told you that you were the best friend I ever had."

"And I still am."

"Raven is one lucky girl."

"Yeah, I know" he smirked.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Yoda, Jarvik and Ahsoka were sitting in the conference room on the Jedi Arrow, which was parked in its usual spot next to the Tower. They were discussing a certain Garfield Mark Logan.

"Out of the question it is." Yoda affirmed. "A mate he has. A Jedi he cannot be."

"But why Master Yoda? He is the best Padawan I have ever known."

"Ahsoka" Yoda replied "Forget not how Anakin was corrupted."

"Gar is not Anakin" she said defiantly.

"The code exists for a reason." Jarvik added.

"You of all people should know that the code is a crock." Ahsoka complained. "Gar will never turn to the dark side".

"Married to a demoness he is."

"She's a hero."

"So was Senator Amidala. Raven is his weakness."

"She's not a weakness. She makes him stronger."

"Enough Ahsoka. No more shall we discuss this." Yoda said in very firm tone.

"Fine. I won't return with you to the Republic. I will stay here and complete Gar's training."

"Perhaps we should ask Garfield what he wants to do. For all we know he isn't interested in Knighthood. Raven certainly doesn't like the idea of Gar becoming a Jedi." Jarvik said.

"Asked him to meet with me, I have." 

_**-(-)-**_

OK that's all for today.

I wasn't planning on letting the grass stain die. Scared you, didn't I?


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 25 – Going Home

The common room was the hub of activity. Every female Titan from the four corners of the Earth had arrived at Titans tower to celebrate Starfire and Nightwing's news, and a few guys came along as well. Even Terra was present.

Raven, while much more social than in years past, had her fill of the commotion and had sat down on the circular couch with Gar. She was reading one of her many books while Gar fell asleep next to her while morphed into a cat. She stroked him absentmindedly while he purred. _Just like the good old days, before the Jedi arrived._

Raven glanced at the clock and remembered Gar's appointment with Yoda.

"Wake up sleepy head. You don't want to be late to see Master Yoda."

The green cat opened his eyes and yawned one of those big yawns that only a cat can do. Gar morphed into a raven and flew out the window down to the Arrow, where he was expected.

"Yo Raven, what are they going to talk about?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm not sure, but I suppose it has to do with his future as a Jedi." She frowned.

"You're not happy about this, are you?"

Her frown intensified.

"No, I'm not. I almost lost him two weeks ago. Nothing would make me happier than to see the Jedi leave and never return."

She paused, biting her lower lip, which the tin man recognized as a sign that she was troubled. Raven suddenly rose to her feet.

"I don't care if it's a private meeting. If it concerns Gar's future, then I should be there."

She flew out the window as fast as she could and caught up with Gar before he reached the Arrow. He squawked in protest, but in the end they entered the Arrow together.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Garfield and Raven both entered the conference room.

"Garfield, your presence alone requested was." Yoda admonished.

"We come as a pair." Gar replied. Ahsoka gave him a 'what are you doing?' look while Jarvik simply looked cross.

Yoda sighed. "Very well. Proceed we shall."

Jarvik spoke up.

"Padawan Logan, Ahsoka has requested that we review your status as a Padawan. She believes that you are ready to be promoted to the rank of Knight in the Jedi order".

Both Gar and Raven had expressions of shock on their face.

"She did?" Garfield stammered.

"Yes." Jarvik continued "Do you feel that you are ready for this?"

"No." Garfield replied. "I failed to defeat Ventress." His whole body slumped.

"Good" Yoda replied. "Humble a Jedi must be."

Gar and Raven were confused. _Where is this going?_ She wondered.

"One task remains." He continued. "You must build a lightsaber. Only a Jedi can do this, as the Force is required to properly align the emitter crystal." He then handed Gar a data pad. "In this pad the schematics you need are contained. Your friend Cyborg help you with mechanical matters he may. You have two weeks to complete this task."

"And then I'll be a Jedi Knight?" Gar asked, incredulously.

"Decide then I will. Troubled I remain, because a spouse you have." Yoda closed his eyes and sighed. "You may go now."

"Why is that a problem?" Raven asked.

"A distraction a mate is. Detached a Jedi must be. A mate only clouds a Jedi's judgment."

Gar handed the data pad back to Yoda "Master Yoda, with all due respect, I'm no longer interested."

"Gar, what are you doing?" Ahsoka shrieked.

"I'm sorry Ahsoka, but Raven is the best thing that ever happened to me. She is the source of all that is good in my life. I won't listen to this." Gar took Raven's hand and led her out of the room.

Raven could tell that Gar was upset. "Are you sure about this Gar?"

"Screw them! Who do they think they are? You took Ventress down, or have they forgotten that already?"

"Gar, wait!" Ahsoka was running after them.

"Forget it Ahsoka. I'm no longer interested."

He pulled Master Windu's lightsaber from his belt and handed it to her. "I believe this is yours."

"Gar, don't throw this opportunity away." She pleaded.

"Ahsoka, it seems to me that I'm being asked to choose. I'll always belong to Raven and the Titans will always be my family. The Jedi, sorry, they come second."

Gar morphed into a seagull and flew away across the bay.

"I'd better go after him." Raven sighed and took off.

Ahsoka shook her head and looked at the lightsaber in her hand before heading to the tower.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"He did what?" Cyborg shouted. "I thought it meant the world to him."

"Master Yoda can be a jerk." Ahsoka replied.

"So it's over then?" Blackfire asked.

"I'm afraid so. And the worst thing is that I had convinced Master Yoda to give Gar the rank of Knight."

"So why did he bring Raven up again?" Nightwing asked. "Was he trying to piss Gar off?"

"Padme" Ahsoka replied.

"Padme?" Cyborg asked "What's that?"

"My master secretly married Senator Padme Amidala. Palpatine, the Sith Lord, used Anakin's fear of losing Padme to draw him to the Dark Side. Anakin was pivotal in the destruction of the Jedi order and Palpatine becoming the Emperor."

"OK, that explains a lot."Nightwing said.

"I think that Yoda blames himself for not noticing Anakin's secret, especially since Palpatine knew everything. But he hasn't learned from his mistake. He pushed Anakin into Palpatine's arms with his heavy handedness and now he's pushed Gar away."

"Maybe BB isn't meant to be a Jedi." Terra shared. "He's always been kind of flinchy."

"Do not ever let Raven hear you say that." Starfire admonished her.

"BB?" Ahsoka asked.

"His old hero name was Beast Boy." Nightwing answered. "He kept his true identity a secret for a long time, so even we called him Beast Boy. Now we call him by his real name and his current hero name is Changeling."

"Anything else I don't know about him?" Ahsoka asked.

They proceeded to tell her about how he lost his parents, his time with the Doom Patrol and how he ended up with the Teen Titans. Ahsoka nodded her understanding as she stroked her chin in a very Obi Wan Kenobi way.

"Now I understand why he sees you as his family. This is a problem. I never should have trained him at all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raven asked crossly. No one had seen her enter the room.

"I should have screened him better before taking him on as my apprentice. And I was completely mistaken about Jarvik and the Dark Side."

"Well, if anyone cares, Gar is in our suite and he's a wreck. He's trying to hide it, but trust me, he has never been this upset."

The Titans all stood up and followed Raven back to the Logan's suite on the top floor. Ahsoka stood up as well.

"Perhaps it would be best if you stayed here." Starfire told Ahsoka.

Ahsoka sat back down on the circular couch and stared out of the large windows, staring at the azure bay in the late afternoon.

"There has to be a way." She murmured to herself.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar warmly accepted all the support his fellow titans offered him. It was good to know that they really were his family and would always be there for him. Still, he was glad when they eventually left, leaving the Logan's to their privacy.

"You're still agitated Gar. I can sense it. Is there anything I can do for you?" Raven asked him.

He cracked a smile. "Come skip stones with me."

She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Sure, I'd love to."

They flew down to 'Gar's rock' where he and Raven had met after the first Beast incident and had their first 'moment'. It seemed like an eternity ago, and yet also like it was just yesterday. Gar picked up a nice stone and gave it a good throw.

"Seven skips, let's see you beat that!" he cheered.

Raven picked up a stone and using her dark energy shot it out at what appeared to be near supersonic speed.

"22 skips." She said in her monotone.

"That's cheating." he complained.

"Nothing's stopping you from using your powers." She reolied.

"I'm never using those powers again!" he snarled.

"So offensive are they to you?" they both heard from behind them.

Gar and Raven whipped around. It was Yoda.

"Hello, Master Yoda." Raven said.

"Greetings, Raven. An apology to you both I owe."

"Huh?" Gar choked out, unable to hide his surprise.

"Mistaken I was, in judging Raven a liability to you. A remarkable woman she is."

A tiny smile appeared on the sorceress's face.

"Thank you. We accept you apology." She replied.

"Take this and your final trial complete." He said as he once again handed Gar the data pad with the lightsaber design schematics. "Also Ahsoka asked me this to return to you. It once to a dear friend of mine belonged." He handed Gar Mace Windu's lightsaber.

"Take it." she whispered in his ear.

Yoda chortled. "Yes, yes, to your wife listen. Wise she is."

"Thank you, sir." It was all Gar could say.

"Much love and loyalty have you for your wife and friends. Had Skywalker your loyalty, failed the Sith would have." He turned and began to walk away. He then stopped and turned to face them.

"I congratulate you, Raven. You victory over Ventress, well done it was."

"Thank you." She replied softly. "It was hard to do."

"Always difficult it is to take a life, even an evil life." He turned and left for the Jedi Arrow.

"I thought you didn't want me to become a Jedi."

"I hadn't understood how much it meant to you." She faced him and kissed him tenderly on the lips, tears streaming down her cheeks. "And thanks for be willing to give it all up for me."

They hugged for the longest time.

 _What is it with this rock? I should rent it out on Valentine's or something._ Garfield joked in his mind.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Ok, let's try again B. You sure it's aligned this time. The last 5 exploded and I'm out of parts. Today is the last day, green bean."

Gar collected himself and used the Force to focus on the lightsaber's internals. "Yes, this time the crystal is aligned correctly. I'm positive."

Raven had her hood up as she watched from a safe distance. She knew that she had been unable to conceal her disappointment each time Gar failed to align the crystal correctly. _Not this time_. She walked up to Gar and lowered her hood. _Success or failure, I will share it with him._

Gar placed the lightsaber on a test jig and they ran to the bunker to join Cyborg. Gar picked up a control pad. "Ok, here we go!" and he pressed a button on the pad. Nothing happened.

"At least it didn't blow up." Cyborg stated the obvious.

"I forgot the energy cell." He ran out to the test jig and connected the power source to the lightsaber grip.

He ran back and picked up the pad once again, but before he tried the test a second time he grabbed Raven and gave her a kiss that made Cyborg blush to witness it.

"For luck" he grinned, and pressed the button.

The lightsaber made the familiar snap-hiss ignition sound and came to life. Its blade was a deep emerald.

Raven grabbed Gar and returned his earlier kiss. Cyborg let out his trademark "BOO-YAH!" and high fived Gar and Raven once they were done kissing, which took a while.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar and Raven flew to the Jedi Arrow, with Raven cradling the new lightsaber in her arms as if were a newborn baby.

The three Jedi and the two Padawans saw them approaching, knowing well why they were coming. As they landed and Gar morphed back into his normal form Ahsoka approached them. Raven handed the lightsaber to Gar. Ahsoka had already outstretched her hand to him.

He handed it to her and she examined it for over a minute, her focus was extremely intense. She then handed it to Jarvik who repeated her performance before handing it to Yoda who also examined it.

Yoda then held the grip so that the blade would point upward if ignited. He hit the power switch and it came to life. He handed it to Jarvik who performed a few simple motions with it before handing it to Ahsoka who did the same before shutting it off and returning it to Garfield.

Yoda addressed Gar "You have completed the trials. Tthe rank of Jedi Knight, I grant you ."

Gar was shocked. _That's it? I'm done? I guess they aren't big on ceremony in the order._

"Thank you Master Yoda" he stammered.

"The vow of celibacy, exempt you are from, by my authority. Your knighthood, legal is."

"Yes sir, thank you." Gar said again.

Yoda turned to Raven "Congratulations my dear. Fortunate he is to have a mate as patient as you."

"Yes, and thank you" she replied.

"Garfield, inform the Titans that repaired our ships are. Tomorrow at noon we leave for our home. Now go, share with your friends your news."

 _ **-(-)-**_

"And that was it?" Nightwing asked "No ceremony, just 'OK you're now a Knight'?"

"I guess when Ahsoka said that we don't do it for the glory, she wasn't kidding." Gar replied.

"How do you feel?" Blackfire asked.

"Weird, I guess. I just wasn't expecting it to happen right there and then."

"Speaking of the unexpected" Nightwing interrupted, "Starfire has a question for her sister".

All eyes were on Starfire. "Sister" she began "I will need to take a leave of absence during my pregnancy. I was wondering if you would like to cover for me during that time."

Blackfire hugged her sister. "Thank you sister, and you too friends. Thank you for trusting me. Starfire has been a better fighter than me for some time now, and now that I can't use my star bolts I'll be even less effective than her. I will do my best of course."

"Maybe I could rig you up with a thermal blaster like the one Nightwing used when Slade blackmailed him into being his apprentice. It's not as good as star bolts, but it still kicks butt." Cyborg enthused.

Just then the common room doors opened as Sleedo and Nuvuti entered. Each was carrying a package.

"Gar, we would like to give you these to commemorate your promotion to Jedi Knight" Nuvuti said as she handed Gar her package. He opened it and it contained a standard Jedi tunic and boots.

"Wow, thanks Nuvuti. I'll wear it tomorrow when you leave for home."

Sleedo then gave Gar his package.

"It's a Jedi robe!" he exclaimed as Raven helped him put it on "It fits like a glove!"

"Now they're both have hoods!" Starfire exclaimed "Glorious!"

Sleedo and Nuvuti both roared with laughter.

"We now must return to our ship to prepare for tomorrow's departure. We will see you then." Sleedo said.

"See you tomorrow." Gar replied.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar was awoken at 2AM by something he had never heard before: Raven was snoring like a buzz saw. He turned to face her to see if he could discern why he was being treated to this symphony on this particular night. Nothing looked out of normal. She looked quite peaceful and content. Gar watched her with amusement for a while before deciding he would like a soda and headed down to the kitchen. As he approached the kitchen he sensed that someone was already there. As he entered he saw that it was Terra.

"Hey, wat'cha doin' up at this hour?"

"I couldn't sleep. It's been happening to me a lot lately. What about you?" she asked.

"Raven's snoring woke me up."

"You're kidding? Little miss perfect snores?" Terra guffawed.

"Little miss perfect?"

"OK! I'm jealous of her!" she admitted "Happy now?"

"Not really." he retrieved a root beer from the fridge. "Should I be?"

"You should be. I rejected you twice and now you're happily married to the girl I hated and I'm a miserable loser. How can it get any better than that?"

Gar sighed. "Terra, why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Because I loved you and I blew it!" she sobbed.

"Terra, there's nothing to be gained from dwelling in the past."

"Did you love me?"

He heaved a heavy sigh.

"I was a stupid 14 year old boy. I had the king of crushes on you, but it wasn't love Terra. I was an awkward, self conscious green boy with low self esteem. You were the first cute girl who ever gave me the time of day. Of course I was infatuated with you. But how could it have been true love? "

"Is it true love you have for Raven?"

"Yes, actually."

"How? I remember that she treated you like dirt. I saw the videos from Tokyo. How many times did she slap you in public then? She even slapped you at the award ceremony, in front of the whole world."

"Raven was uncomfortable with her feelings back then, and was also very self conscious. She had a crush on me back then, but was mortified that someone might find out, so she pretended to hate me."

"How convenient."

"You know who she couldn't fool? Starfire. She knew all along, but never told anyone, not even Raven."

"So what happened? Did she just wake up one morning and decide to stop being a bitch to you?"

Gar sighed again. He had never known that Terra felt this way, and he didn't know what to do.

"No it didn't happen overnight. It was gradual. We started doing things together, like meditate or swim in the pool. It just started to snowball after that. She was still very self conscious and asked me to keep our relationship a secret. Of course Starfire could read us like a book, but she respected our privacy. We only went public once we decided to get married. We started dating in secret about a year after you told me to forget about you. It was a long time and we both matured along the way. And you know what? We are still both growing and maturing."

"I see." She said with a hint of bitterness.

"Terra, there's someone out there waiting for you. But you'll never find him if you waste your time pining for me." He finished the last of his root beer.

"Go to bed Terra. Once our visitors leave I'll help you find a college. Have you given any thought on what you'd like to major in?"

She grinned "Geology, duh!"

They both shared a laugh. He kissed her on the cheek. "Good night Terra. Don't miss the send off tomorrow. I promise you that you'll see something that'll make you laugh."

"What?"

"Ah, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, right?"

"OK, I'll see you tomorrow."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Terra almost overslept that morning, but after hurrying she made it down to the send off.

Cyborg had built a platform for the Jedi and the Titans to address the assembled dignitaries. She recognized Yoda, Jarvik, Ahsoka and the two Padawans. She saw Nightwing, Starfire, Blackfire, Cyborg and Raven. She squinted her eyes as she looked for the green changeling.

 _Where's BB?_

Gar had ditched his old Doom Patrol uniform some years ago for a new uniform that Raven helped him design. But Terra didn't see it anywhere. As she got closer to the platform she saw him. He was standing next to Raven, and was dressed like a Jedi. _She let out a laugh. He was right. He looks so funny dressed like that._

 _ **-(-)-**_

The farewell ceremony was taking forever. An endless procession of politicians, dignitaries and other assorted windbags came to bid the Jedi a safe trip home.

Finally Master Jarvik had his turn to speak. He thanked Earth's people for their hospitality. "And as a gesture of our gratitude we will be leaving the Jedi Arrow in the care of Jedi Knight Garfield Logan and the rest of the Teen Titans to protect Earth from any alien menaces in the future."

After the applause subsided the Jedi and the Titans bade each other farewell. Ahsoka hugged and kissed both Raven and Gar goodbye.

"I will return someday, after we defeat Palpatine, I promise".

The plan was for Yoda to return to his exile in Dagobah, waiting for the day he would train the New Hope. Ahsoka and Jarvik would each take command of one of the dreadnoughts, launching distracting red herring attacks to keep Palpatine from finding Master Kenobi and the New Hope, whose location was a tightly guarded secret.

Jarvik congratulated Gar on his promotion and also promised to return someday. Sleedo and Nuvuti also bade everyone farewell including promises to return.

Yoda was more somber. "To you, return I cannot. Time for me is running out and Palpatine deposed I do not expect to live to see. But bright your future is. Much happiness in your future I see, including many children." He laughed his mad laugh "Many children I see."

The departing Jedi then boarded their shuttle and left for the dreadnoughts.

"Many children?" Cyborg laughed "Just how many are we talking about here?" he teased.

Gar and Raven looked at each other and shrugged. "At least he didn't say anything about me losing my hair. "

Raven raised one of her eye brows "When will you stop worrying about that?"

"Never. Let's go home, I want to change out of this Jedi Monkey Suit."

 _ **-(-)-**_

As some of you know, I wrote a sequel to this story. I will post those chapters in this story, so there's more to come! 14 to be precise.

And there is a part 3, which I did not finish. We'll see about that.


	25. Chapter 25

Prologue

This story is the sequel to "A leap of faith'.

This chapter catches up with what has happened since the first story ended and sets up the background of the new story.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Chapter 1 – Time flies

It had been ten months since the Jedi had left and things had slowly gone back to normal at Titans Tower.

Garfield kept his promise to Terra. He found a good lawyer who managed to get a Judge to annul her previous marriage to Slade (on the grounds that Slade was mentally imbalanced when they wed). He then got her in touch with the Wayne Foundation for her college scholarship. After interviewing her, Bruce was so impressed that he approved a full four year scholarship at Gotham University for her. Terra matriculated the following semester, majoring in Geology and made the Dean's list. Gar was very pleased with himself.

Terra's new collegiate life had also inspired Raven to begin her own higher education. Jump City College had one of the best online programs in the country. Raven had taken over two dozen AP tests over the past couple of years and was able to start at JCC as a Junior. Her major was English and she chose History as her minor. After a little ear twisting she was able to talk Gar into matriculating as well, his chosen major being Biology with a concentration on Zoology, which surprised no one.

Crime in Jump City amazingly had settled down. The Titans mostly had to deal with minor villains like Mumbo or Control Freak. The only time Gar ever used his lightsaber was when he sliced up some of Control Freak's remote control created monsters. Since he couldn't carry or use his lightsaber when in most of his animal forms Raven began to carry it for him. Gar did enjoy using the Force to increase the effectiveness of his animal forms. Once in elephant form he jumped high in the air and performed a triple somersault before landing on a dumbfounded Adonis, knocking him out cold. But most of the time he kept his new Jedi powers to himself and only used them to surprise villains.

Blackfire was relishing her role as a Titan. She was definitely the most gung ho member of the team now. She was always the first at the scene and in the case of a minor crime like a bank robbery she usually had the perps in custody by the time the others arrived.

But the year had its life changing event. Elizabeth Marie Grayson was born just two months ago. She had dark hair and blue eyes like her father and her mother's skin tone and digestive system. Starfire was concerned, no she was frantic, that little Elizabeth had not begun to fly, for which the other Titans were most grateful. Raven had the worst luck with her, as the first time she held Lizzie the infant threw up on her almost immediately. _What is it with kids throwing up on me?_ She wondered at the time, recalling all the times that Teether barfed on her when she was protecting the children from the Brotherhood of Evil. Also, little Lizzie was a colicky baby, and while the Logans couldn't hear her at night Raven did feel her raw baby emotions on those occasions which kept her awake many nights, and if Raven couldn't sleep then neither could Garfield. And last night had been such a night.

Nightwing called a 7AM staff meeting to discuss new training and patrol schedules for the week. Everyone had assembled except for the Logans. At five after the hour Nightwing sent Blackfire to get them. She returned a few minutes later with the couple, who were bleary eyed and still in their pajamas.

"Did Elizabeth keep you up again friends?" Starfire asked. Gar grunted something that vaguely sounded like a 'yes' as the couple sat down at the conference table.

"I am so sorry friends." Starfire apologized "But I have good news! Today my knorfka Galfore is arriving with several of my childhood friends to meet little Elizabeth.

 _Great, a tower full of Starfires. It will be like a Hello Kitty convention_. Raven thought.

For a moment Raven looked like she was going to have aneurysm, but she regained her composure, at least on the outside. Then Gar spoke up.

"Nightwing, Raven and I need to leave for a few days." He said.

"So where are you lovebirds going?" Blackfire teased them.

"Anywhere that has soft beds, quiet rooms and no babies." Raven replied in her monotone. "And room service."

"Oh." Starfire responded despondently "I guess that would be OK, yes Richard?"

"Oh, I guess so." Nightwing almost moaned _. It's not like I'm getting any sleep either._ He complained in his mind.

 _Yeah, but she's your kid!_ Raven shot back through their shared telepathic link, which she hadn't opened in a long time.

"Good" Raven said out loud. "It's settled then. We leave this afternoon. Cyborg would you mind making us reservations at the Jump City Hilton? And make sure it's a quiet room, please." The Logans then rose from the table and headed out of the conference room.

"Where are you guys going?" Cyborg asked as the meeting was just getting stated.

"Back to bed!" they said in one voice. They slept in until noon.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven and Gar finished packing for their escapade just as the Tamaranians arrived. They lugged their bags to the common room and greeted the guests as they arrived.

Galfore was his usual booming self.

"So Koriand'r, I still cannot persuade you to give your daughter a proper Tamaranian name?" He begged Starfire.

"She was born on Earth and is half human, so we decided to give her a human name." she replied.

"Komand'r" he turned to Blackfire "Might you talk some sense into your sister?" he seemed almost desperate.

"Sorry, Galfore, but you know how my little sister can be." She smirked.

"But the child is also a Princess of Tamaran." This time he turned to Nightwing "Won't she listen to you?"

"I'm afraid she has made up her mind. Even I know when to back off." He replied.

Galfore harrumphed as Starfire presented Elizabeth to her 7 childhood friends, all of whom were ecstatic over the child.

"Man, they're all talking in Tamaranian!" Cyborg complained "I don't even think any of them speak any English at all."

"I thought you learned Tamaranian once." Gar teased him.

"I did, but forgot it when you guys took my Maxx-7 chip out."

"I guess you're gonna have to pucker up then, Tin Man." Raven joked.

Cyborg looked at the pretty Tamaranian girls that huddled around Starfire and Elizabeth. "That doesn't sound so bad when you think about it." He said with a grin.

Raven formed a dark disc on the ground. Using the Force, Gar tossed their luggage on it, and then hopped on himself. As Raven stepped onto the circle she said "So can we expect you to have a girlfriend when we get back?" she taunted him.

"BB's right, you are mean!" he shouted at her as they flew out the window standing on the flying disk.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Later that day after all the commotion had winded down, Starfire and Richard retired to their room with their daughter while Cyborg and Blackfire showed the guests to their rooms. Fortunately for Cyborg the Tamaranians brought their own food. He figured that he and Nightwing could survive off delivery pizza for the next few days.

Back in the Grayson's suite Starfire was nursing their daughter, while Nightwing kept her company.

"Star, how are you feeling about being a mother?" he asked her.

"It is hard to describe." She began "I now feel more complete than ever. Every time I gaze upon her tiny face I am reminded that we have been joined forever in her. It also brings out a part of me I did not know before, that I am a life giver and a nurturer. When we first met I was a warrior. Now, I am so much more, and yet…."

"What is it Star?"

"I miss being a protector of our city. It has been almost a year since I have been on a mission, and I miss it so much. But how can I? Who will care for Elizabeth while I am away on a mission?"

"Uh, we could place her in daycare?"

"Richard, do not even joke about that." She replied crossly.

"OK, how about a nanny?" he asked more carefully.

"You mean a knorfka? I could ask Galfore to help us find one."

"I was thinking more of a human nanny, since we live on Earth. But I suppose that we should ask him first so that he won't be offended." he replied. After knowing Starfire so many years he was beginning to understand the Tamaranian way of thinking and seeing things.

"Yes, that would be wise." She smiled. Her husband was finally beginning to 'get it'.

 _ **-(-)-**_

It was now dinnertime in the tower. Starfire's friends had set up shop in the kitchen and were preparing a traditional Tamaranian dinner, or at least that's what Cyborg thought it was. _And I thought Star's concoctions were disgusting_. The girls were setting the table just as the pizzas Cyborg ordered earlier arrived. They all sat down to partake of their meal.

Cyborg was surprised that Blackfire did not eat any Tamaranian food and ate only pizza, especially since none of their guests appeared to like pizza. "It's an acquired taste." Starfire explained to her friends. At least that's what Blackfire translated for him. _It must have been hard for her to get used to what we eat, yet she never complained. She's always been a trooper._

After dinner Elizabeth woke up in a foul mood and wouldn't stop crying, despite the best efforts made by the Tamaranian contingent. Blackfire turned to Cyborg. She looked frazzled.

"I can't take it anymore. Let's get out of here." She said.

"What do you wanna do, little lady?" he asked.

"How about a movie?"

"There's nothing good playing now."

"Then how about we go dancing?"

"Sounds like a date." He replied enthusiastically. They told Nightwing that they were stepping out for a while and left quietly.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Later that evening Nightwing asked Galfore to join him and Starfire in his office. Galfore showed up, punctual as usual.

"Galfore, we have a problem and were wondering if you might be able to help us."

"Yes?" he replied.

"Well you see, Starfire hasn't been able to join us on a mission for a year now. At first it was because of her pregnancy, but now she needs to care for Elizabeth. I would share that duty with her, but I am the team leader."

"I see"

"Anyway, we were wondering if you might be able to provide us with a knorfka for Elizabeth, or at least a reference."

Galfore frowned. "I do not believe that I can."

"Why?" they both asked.

"Forgive me Princess, for I have kept a secret from you…..the truth is that back home there is much resentment that you married not only an outsider, but a commoner as well. I do not believe I could find anyone qualified who would accept being your daughter's knorfka."

Galfore saw a look of shock then sadness on both of their faces.

"It could have been worse. I can only imagine the reaction had you fallen in love with and married the green boy."

"Galfore!" now Starfire was angry. "How can you say such things about our dear friend?"

"Now, now, you have to admit that when he was younger he was a bit pathetic. Remember how he squirmed when I yelled at him when you visited?" The two Titans couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"And his eventual choice of mate, the demoness Raven, it says a lot about him, don't you agree?"

At this point Starfire had moved beyond shock. She was livid. "How dare you say such things about my friends! Garfield is a mighty warrior, not some pathetic loser as you imply. He could easily defeat any Tamaranian warrior, including you! And Raven is my dearest friend. She is smart, loyal, brave, sweet and lovely. They are a wonderful couple!"

Too late Galfore had realized his mistake. "I apologize, Princess, I meant no offense."

Starfire glared at him.

"Perhaps it would be best if I took my leave." The huge Tamaranian added.

"Yes, you should return to Tamaran. Do my friends who came to visit feel the same as you?"

"No. I approve of Richard, but they do not."

"I think that you should all leave immediately." Nightwing said in a gruff tone.

Galfore nodded gravely. "I will make it so. Please forgive me, Princess."

Starfire turned away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Three days later Raven and Gar returned from their mini-vacation, and when they arrived they were arguing heatedly.

"Gar, you can be such a jerk sometimes!" Raven accused.

"Me a jerk, you're one to talk, you picked everything we did the whole time! You shot down everything I wanted to do!"

"That's because everything you wanted to do was stupid!"

Starfire was nursing Lizzie on the circular couch and was accompanied by her sister and Cyborg.

"Oooh, trouble in paradise" Blackfire whispered "This is juicy."

Cyborg did not share her amusement. He was actually quite alarmed as he had not seen them argue like that since they began dating.

"C'mon ya'll. Knock it off, you're scaring me." He interrupted.

"Shut up, Victor!" they both yelled at him before they resumed arguing.

He turned to Starfire "Star, do something!" he pleaded.

"I do not think so." She replied. "We should allow Raven and Gar to work out their issues on their own without our interference."

Overhearing her remark, Raven and Gar turned to Starfire. "What?!" They both shouted.

"Aren't you going to lecture us about rekmas and dying friendships?" Gar asked.

"Or try to save us from our inevitable divorce, unless we kiss and make up immediately?" Raven added.

"No, I will not." Starfire curtly replied. "You are on your own."

The Logans stood in stunned silence for over a minute. Finally Raven broke the silence.

"I can't even remember how we started fighting." She aid.

"Neither can I. Will you forgive me for being such a jerk, Raven?"

"Only if you forgive me first." She replied. They fell into each other's arms and celebrated their first major reconciliation with a less than chaste kiss.

"Get a room!" Blackfire teased.

"Don't mind if we do." Raven said as she led her husband by the hand out of the common room.

After the doors closed Cyborg turned to Starfire. "What the hell was that?! How did you know that would work?" he asked incredulously.

"You know Victor; I am not just a pretty face." She and her sister shared a big laugh.

Suddenly the doors opened again. Nightwing walked in, followed by the Logans who had to postpone their trip to their suite.

"I have news." Nightwing announced. "We are going to have a summit meeting with the Bat Clan in Gotham to discuss further cooperation with them. I've arranged for some subs for us. We're leaving this Friday."

"This announcement couldn't wait?" Gar protested. He wrapped his arms around Raven's waist. "Shall we pick up where we left off my dear?" He asked as they walked out second time.

"Get a room!" Nightwing yelled "And the hallway is not a room!"

"Sheesh" he said to the others, "It's not like they didn't have the whole weekend to get it on!"

"Who says they did not." Starfire replied, as she headed back to their suite with a still sleeping Elizabeth in her arms. "Richard, are you coming?" It didn't take Nightwing long to put 2+2 together. He quickly dashed after her with a grin on his face.

As the doors shut yet again Cyborg complained "This sucks. Bumblebee won't even return my calls anymore."

He hesitated. "Oh well, I guess I'll install those new brake calipers on the T-Car. I got nothin' else to do."

"I'll join you." Blackfire said.

"Oh did I tell you that Tony Stark sent me some new blue prints for the gauntlets we were thinking about making for you?"

"He did?" she replied.

"Oh yeah, they're way cool. Easy to put on and take off, each one with its own power source. Once I build them you can also lose that stupid thermal blaster…." He continued as they headed to his workshop.

 _ **-(-)-**_

And we're off to the races again.


	26. Chapter 26

It was the Friday morning of the trip to Gotham. The Titans we enjoying a quiet brunch together, except for Cyborg who was once again absent. He had been rising extra early everyday to work on Blackfire's new gauntlets.

Just as the table was being cleared Cyborg entered to common room carrying a small box and with a big grin on his face. "Guess what I got?" He asked in a sing song voice.

"You already finished my gauntlets?" Blackfire asked, floating towards Cyborg.

"They're only prototypes little lady. But they are functional." He replied.

"What gauntlets?" Nightwing asked.

"The ones I built for Blackfire since she can't conjure star bolts any more. These babies are full of tech loaned to us from Tony Stark himself. They even have repulsor rays on the palms, just like in his Iron Man suits."

"Dude! Let me see them!" Garfield pleaded.

"Nuh uh! Not until Blackfire tries them out first."

Blackfire slipped the gauntlets on. She had to remove her Tamaranian forearm armor first, as the gauntlets were long and her armor would have been in the way.

"They're much lighter than they look. They almost feel like gloves." She described to her friends.

Cyborg explained how to use the repulsor rays to Blackfire before activating the gauntlets.

"The prototypes are battery powered, so you'll have a limited number of shots. The final versions will have tiny arc reactors, which will last much longer, and maybe, just maybe, Tony and I can figure out how to integrate them into your artificial habds. Let's fly over the bay to the island where Starfire dumped Silkie when he grew into a monster. No one's there, so you can blast away all you want!"

"Dude, I'm coming. I'm not missing this!" Gar howled.

Raven could tell that Starfire and Nightwing were also itching to go and watch. "Fine, I'll stay with the baby. You can all go and watch Blackfire trash Silkie's island."

They didn't wait for her to change her mind. Before Raven could say "Zinthos" Starfire plopped Lizzie into her arms and they were all gone, flying across the bay. A few minutes later booms and blasts echoed across the bay. After a few more minutes the energy cells ran out and they all returned, almost as quickly as they had left. Lizzie never even had a chance to barf on Raven.

Judging from the big grin on Blackfire's face Raven confirmed that the test was a success.

"That was awesome!" Nightwing exclaimed.

"Dude, it was more than awesome! I want a pair of my own!" Gar shouted.

"Me too!" Nightwing exclaimed.

"Sorry guys, but Tony's only giving me enough parts to build a pair for Blackfire."

Blackfire was standing still, mesmerized with the prototype gauntlets that she was still wearing. She then flew up to Cyborg, hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Victor! How can I ever thank you? It's almost like being my old self again." Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Don't mention it, little lady." He said as he blushed. "Tony should have the parts we need by the time we get back from Gotham."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar was making the final preparations for the shuttle, which he pulled out of the Arrow's docking bay. He double checked the visual cloak system that would shroud the shuttle so no one would see it as it approached the Bat Cave to land.

The substitutes started to arrive: Kid Flash, Jinx, Hot Spot and Pantha had arrived earlier and had joined the Titans in the common room. Bumblebee was the last to arrive. When she saw Cyborg she smirked and said "So Sparky, still miss me?"

Blackfire witnessed Bumblebees cruel taunt. _She can be a bitch sometimes._ Suddenly she had an idea.

"Why would he miss you?" She said as she flew up to Cyborg and planted a big wet one on his lips. Her intention was merely to make Bumblebee jealous, which worked like a charm, as her jaw nearly hit the floor.

"What do you think your doin' kissing my man?" she accused Blackfire.

"Your man, darling? Last I heard you weren't returning his calls."

"Oh he's mine alright, Blackfire, and don't you forget it!" Once she noticed that everyone was staring at her she stormed out of the room.

"Consider that partial payment for the gloves." Blackfire whispered to him.

Cyborg was confused. He wasn't sure which he liked better: Bumblebee getting jealous or Blackfire's kiss. All he knew for sure was that he was feeling good.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The shuttle flight from Jump City to Gotham was quick and uneventful. Alfred met them in the Bat Cave, showed them their rooms and informed them that Master Bruce and the rest of the Bat Clan would meet with them in the library at 6:00 PM, followed by dinner at 7:00.

Nightwing gave them a quick tour of Wayne Manor before leading his team to the library. As they arrived Bruce greeted them and introduced them to the rest of the Bat Clan: Barbara Gordon, the first Bat Girl, now Oracle. Cassandra Cain, the current Bat Girl. And Tim Drake, the current incarnation of Robin who they already had met. And of course Alfred Pennyworth, who was busy setting down trays of hor D'oeuvres and other goodies.

And then Raven saw her.

"What's she doing here?" she asked out loud, to no one in particular.

Starfire turned and saw her as well "Terra?"

Star, who was holding Elizabeth, sat down on a love seat while Raven was searching for Gar, who had suddenly vanished. She located him, standing next to Alfred discussing the snacks while piling two plates full of goodies.

Gar made his way back to the girls and handed the plates to them. Starfire's had a little sauce dish with mustard on it.

"Thank you Garfield, you are always so thoughtful." Starfire said.

"Can I get you ladies something to drink? Some wine perhaps? Do you have a preference?"

"Sure, why not?" Raven replied. "Surprise me."

"Surprise me too!" Starfire chimed in.

As Gar headed back to retrieve the drinks for the ladies, he was intercepted by Terra.

"BB, it's great to see you!" she said as she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Terra, how's life at Gotham U?"

Raven was frowning, no, she was snarling as she watched the scene unfold before her. Terra couldn't keep her hands off Garfield, who to his credit was politely fending off her wandering hands. He turned to the bar and poured two glasses of wine and headed back towards Raven and Starfire, with Terra following closely behind him, with a huge grin on her face.

"If she touches him one more time, so help me I'll…."

Starfire took Raven's hand. "It is OK Raven, do not get angry. Terra is just 'familiar' with Gar, that's all."

"Too familiar if you ask me." Raven growled as the statuesque blond followed her husband like a lost puppy.

Terra ran up to Starfire and knelt to get a better look at Elizabeth.

"Oh Starfire, she's beautiful!" Terra gushed "May I hold her?"

Starfire nodded and handed Elizabeth over to Terra, who began cooing and making little baby sounds to Elizabeth. She turned to Raven and smiled.

"Raven, you look so pretty with your hair long!" Raven had indeed let her hair grow long, down to her shoulders. Now with her white cape and leotard she looked the way she did when she defeated her father. She remembered that day well. _It was the first time that Gar hugged me._

"Thanks Terra."

Terra put an arm around Gar and squeezed him.

"So when are you and BB going to have a baby?" Terra asked her as she handed Elizabeth to him. Gar gently kissed Lizzie's forehead as Raven watched.

"I dunno" Raven replied almost absentmindedly. "Someday I guess. Sooner rather than later, I suppose."

Elizabeth was playing with Gar's pinkie, playing tug of war with it. Gar lifted her little blouse and started blowing raspberries on her tummy. Elizabeth giggled and did something Starfire had long been waiting for: she levitated.

As Elizabeth floated to the ceiling Starfire followed her, shouting "Richard, sister! Look!"

Gar walked up behind Raven and wrapped his arms around her waist. "So how soon is 'sooner'?" he whispered into her ear.

"We have to retire first." She replied "Starfire might want to be a warrior mom, but I'll pass when the time comes. I'd rather be a soccer mom."

Raven then turned to Terra, who was still with them. "So Terra, what brings you here? Why aren't you at Gotham U."

"Bruce called me last week and ordered me to the Manor. He said that it was too dangerous now for me to be physically present at the school and arranged to have me switched to the online program."

"You're in danger? Why?" Gar replied.

Terra raised a hand and cupped Gar's cheek. _Stop touching him!_ Raven snarled inwardly.

"Bruce will explain after dinner. Gar, let me get you some hor D'oeuvres. Alfred is such a good chef. I swear that I already gained weight this week."

"He can have some of mine." Raven replied as she stuffed a canapé into Gar's mouth.

Gar gulped the treat down. "They are good!" He said as he grabbed two more from Raven's plate. "And meat free too."

Before he could grab another one Alfred announced "Dinner is served"

 _ **-(-)-**_

After they had dessert, Alfred's famous crème brule, and once the table was cleared Bruce began to address the real reason they had assembled.

"Friends, the reason I have called you here is because our enemies have united. Over a week ago Oracle received reports that Slade Wilson has been spotted in Gotham and has formed an alliance with the main figures of the Gotham underworld: The Joker, Scarecrow, Two Face, Killer Croc and Mr. Freeze to name a few."

Barbara Gordon then spoke up. "At first we thought that Slade only came for Tara Markov, but as soon as we learned of the alliance we dug deeper and found out even more. There are intelligence reports supplied by the Doom Patrol that indicate the Brotherhood of Evil are also considering joining this alliance. It is also possible that other super villains like Brother Blood might join as well."

Cyborg grimaced "Oh man!" Blackfire wasn't familiar with these villains, but she could tell from her friend's reaction that it was bad news, very bad news.

Bruce continued. "We are going to have to operate as a single integrated team. We will also be teaming up with the Justice League and the Doom Patrol to face this new menace."

"For now my advice is to get your personal matters in order, as soon there won't be any time for that. I'm sorry to bring you this bad news. I expect that at first we will continue to patrol our own jurisdictions. We do expect that some of the Gotham underworld will soon make their move into Jump City, so be ready for anything."

"Victor, I suggest that you beef up the Tower's defenses ASAP. There is little doubt that they will try to strike you where you live. They will be ruthless and merciless. Garfield, do not be afraid to use your lightsaber to defend your friends."

"Terra will be joining the Bat Clan immediately. That's all for now. There is no need for your remain in Gotham at this time, you can depart in the morning. I will meet later with Nightwing to discuss strategies."

"Thanks for coming."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing and Starfire entered the kitchen, which Alfred had just finished cleaning.

"Have you come in search of a late night snack, Master Richard? There is still some crème brule left."

"No Alfred, but thanks. We actually need some advice."

"What is it Master Richard?"

"We need a knorfka." Starfire answered.

"A knorfka?" Alfred asked.

"A nanny for baby Elizabeth." Nightwing clarified. "And with this villain war about to break out I don't see how we will be able to find anyone crazy enough to take the job. Maybe you should return to Tamaran with Elizabeth, Starfire. Galfore will look after you."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so hasty."Alfred replied. "My cousin Winifred Pennyworth runs an au pair agency in London that specializes in finding nannies for difficult cases such as yours."

"Really, are you serious Alfred?"

"Of course I am Master Richard. Let me check with Master Bruce. I'll arrange to have a Wayne Enterprises corporate jet ready for us tomorrow morning to take us to London."

"Mr. Alfred, thank you so much." Starfire beamed.

"Please your Majesty, just call me Alfred."


	27. Chapter 27

It was a quiet flight back to Jump City on the shuttle. The Graysons and Alfred left during the wee hours of the morning for London on one of Bruce's corporate jets, so it was just Raven and Gar in the shuttle cockpit while Blackfire and Cyborg made themselves at home in the passenger compartment in the rear. Raven was flying the shuttle under Gar's supervision. All the Titans were licensed pilots, and Raven was working on her certification for the shuttle.

Cyborg and Blackfire were discussing yesterday's events, including the cold shoulder that Raven gave Terra at Bruce's reception.

"Man, what's with Raven? She was the complete ice queen with Terra." Cyborg asked.

"Well if you ask me," Blackfire replied in her sing song voice "while Raven is still far too uptight, she was perfectly right to give Terra the evil eye."

"What?! No way. What has Terra done to her lately? Heck, you beat her up last year and she's fine with you."

"You know Vic, for a guy who is supposed to be a genius; you can be pretty dumb sometimes. Raven and I are not rivals, you know."

"Oh, and Terra is?"

"Absolutely. C'mon Vic, she couldn't keep her hands off Gar. She wants him, Vic, she wants him bad, and Raven knows it."

"You're full of crap, you know?" he replied angrily "And even if that was true, there's no way BB would ever betray Raven. He worships the ground she walks on."

Blackfire grinned.

"We both know that Gar will be always be faithful to her, but that doesn't mean that Terra isn't a rival. And speaking of crap, what's going on between you and Bumblebee? She seemed pretty eager to stake her claim on you before we left for Gotham."

"Nothing's going on. I'm done with her." He replied bitterly.

"Really? She countered in a mildly intrigued voice.

 _ **-(-)-**_

There was another discussion going on in the shuttle's cockpit.

"Raven, what happened between you and Terra yesterday? Are you willing to talk about it now?" Gar needled her.

Raven sighed. "OK, fine, I'm jealous. There, are you satisfied now?"

"Jealous? About what?"

Raven snapped at him. "Oh come on Gar, are you really that clueless?"

"I guess I am, so why don't you explain to me what I missed?"

"She had her hands all over you Gar!"

"OK, so Terra can get carried away with hugging and stuff."

"Especially when it involves you!" she retorted.

"Oh Rave, come on now. What are you thinking? That I'm going to have an affair with her?"

Raven became very quiet and when she spoke again it was very softly "I feel very insecure around her."

"Why?" He asked with a hint of disbelief.

Raven gave him a look that said 'you really are stupid'.

"Fine, let's see. She's 6 feet tall and I'm five foot nothing. She's blond and I have violet hair. She has a gorgeous tan and I'm gray. She's a knock out and I'm a plain Jane. She follows and worships you like a lost puppy."

Gar put his arms around her.

"What would I do with someone as tall as Terra? I'm also five foot nothing. I love your violet hair, blondes are a dime a dozen. You're gray, I'm green. You're a beauty, not a 'plain Jane'. If anyone is pathetic looking it's me. I mean come on. I'm green, I have pointy ears and I have fangs!"

Raven murmured "I'm sorry" then began to tear up.

"Rae, what's the matter?" then he remembered. She had pointed out those three distinguishing features back in Tokyo. "Rave, Rave, I wasn't trying to remind you of Tokyo, I'm sorry! Don't cry."

She looked up at him. "You know why I slapped you there on the stage with everyone watching?"

"It was all the fan girls, wasn't it?" he replied.

She nodded. "You married a petty, jealous girl, Garfield Mark Logan, and I'm so sorry..." her voice trailed off.

"You're not petty Rave, maybe a little jealous, but maybe I like that. I always liked that you would stake your claim on me in public. Much better than some sappy teeny bopper in love. To be honest it bugs me when Terra follows me like a fan girl."

Raven let out a little laugh, turned on the autopilot, got up and wrapped her arms around Gar, who was still seated, and kissed the crown of his head while she played with his now shoulder length hair.

"Ever heard of Thomas Aquinas?" he asked.

"Yes" she looked at him in surprise. What about him?"

"He once said that a married couple should be 'perfect friends'. Raven, you are my perfect friend."

She hugged him even tighter. "Thanks, just forgive me for being this way, I'm sorry" she said.

"It's OK; just promise me you won't freak out over Terra anymore."

"I will, if you also promise me to not freak out."

"You got a deal! Wait a minute. What am I not supposed to freak out about?" He asked.

"I just found a small, thinning bald spot on your scalp." She then kissed it tenderly.

It is said that in space no one can hear you scream. Which was true, but there was definitely a major disturbance in the Force emanating from a certain Garfield Mark Logan.

 _ **-(-)-**_

It was much more serene aboard the business jet, which was just halfway to its destination. Elizabeth was sleeping peacefully in her car seat which was firmly tethered to one of the ample seats in the jet's cabin. Alfred was serving Dick and Star a lunch worthy of a 5 star restaurant.

"More wine your highness?" Alfred asked Starfire, who was clearly enjoying being pampered. 5 glasses of wine didn't hurt either.

"I think she's OK Alfred. If anything she's ready for a nap".

"You are quite right Master Richard." He said after draping a fleece blanket over her drowsy form.

Nightwing kicked back in his seat, enjoying some of Bruce's best wine and food, while his two ladies napped peacefully. _It doesn't get any better than this._

 _ **-(-)-**_

Things were calm back at the tower. Hot Spot and Jinx had just left on their 3 hour patrol. Cyborg and Blackfire were in his workshop as Tony Stark had shipped the parts he promised. Cyborg was anxious to have the final gauntlets ready before their patrol shift, which was the next one. Raven and Gar adjourned to their room to meditate and maybe nap afterwards. Their shift followed Cyborg's and Blackfire's shift.

Cyborg completed the production model gauntlets in less than 90 minutes, after which he and Blackfire headed back to "Silkie's Island" which Blackfire began to demolish. After an hour Cyborg was convinced that they worked flawlessly and they returned to the tower, ready to begin their patrol once Jinx and Hot Spot returned.

Up in the Logan's suite Gar was rummaging frantically through the drawers in the room.

"Looking for this?" Raven asked as she handed him a plain hand mirror.

He took it, ran into the bathroom and began hunting for his new bald spot. Raven sat down, preparing herself for what she knew was about to come.

"Dude! It's huge! Aw man, this blows, it's so unfair! How can this be happening, I'm still young!" He was on the verge of sobbing when he came out of the bathroom.

"Gar, I want to cheer you up, but I'm afraid that anything I do or say will make you feel even worse."

"How about a hug?"

"I've plenty of those…" and she hugged him.

After a few minutes of hugging he said "How about a kiss?"

"Sure, I have lots of those too." and they kissed.

A few minutes later they stopped kissing. "How about…"

"Gar! It's the middle of the day! We have patrol in a few hours."

"So?" he replied with a big grin on his face.

"You little sneak!" She kissed him again. _At least he stopped fretting about his stupid hair_.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The Wayne jet had landed at City Airport and there was a gleaming Mercedes limo waiting to pick up Alfred and the Graysons. Alfred had made reservations at the Wyndham, which Richard and Starfire found very much to their liking. The lobby was sumptuous and elegant. The two were in costume and stood out like a pair of sore thumbs.

As Alfred approached the front desk there were murmurs in the crowd. 'Wasn't he the first Robin?', 'She's an alien isn't she?', 'He's smaller than I thought he would be', 'Isn't she a bit of alright?', etc.

"May I help you sir?" the Clerk asked.

"Yes, I have a reservation for Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran" he replied.

Immediately everyone within earshot in the lobby turned around to look. 'She's a Princess?', 'Why who would have guessed?', 'She doesn't look Royal', 'So she married a commoner? And a Yank to boot?'

By this point all the attention was getting old. They just wanted to get to their room and settle down for the evening. Once Alfred returned with an army of bellhops they were relieved to say the least, and were more than happy to vanish into the lift.

What they weren't prepared for was their suite. It was at least 3 times as large as their apartment and luxurious beyond belief.

"Alfred" Nightwing asked once he scraped his jaw off the ground. "How much is this going to cost? We Titans run on a tight budget!"

"Not to worry, young sir. Master Bruce is picking up the tab. Speaking of which..." he said as he pulled an envelope out of his coat "…I was able to procure two prime tickets for the matinee performance of the Phantom of the Opera today".

Starfire's eyes popped wide open. The Phantom was her favorite musical. She had seen it more than once back home and had the movie, first on DVD, then on HD.

"Oh Alfred, thank you so much! How did you know? Oh, I've heard that it's so much better here."

"Oh let's just say that a little birdie told me. A little green birdie. And after the show I have reservations for the two of you at Gordon Ramsey's for dinner."

"Alfred!" Nightwing exclaimed "how did you get those on such short notice?"

"Master Bruce does have some clout on this side of the pond, I must say. The Prime Minister was very helpful. Anyway, you had best hurry and freshen up. The show begins in less than an hour. The limousine that brought us here will be your transportation tonight. And do not worry about young Princess Elizabeth. We shall have a grand time together."

Nightwing smiled a big grin. "Alfred, when will you stop spoiling us?"

"I don't know sir. I suppose when I retire. Have a pleasant evening." He said as he carried Elizabeth to the room that would serve as the nursery during their stay.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Cyborg and Blackfire were into their second hour of patrolling Jump City. She was secretly disappointed that nothing had happened during their watch. She had been hoping that a brigade of Sladebots would attack, giving her an excuse to blast something with her new gauntlets.

She almost got her wish.

Her communicator beeped and when she answered it she saw Jinx on the display. "There's a disturbance downtown on Broadway near Market St. There are reports of dozens of robots wreaking havoc. Kid Flash is at the scene and just reported in. They're not Slade Bots. He says the kind of look like Cyborg"

"Brother Blood!" Cyborg bellowed. "Tell Wally to be careful, and we need full backup. I know they're on break, but make sure Raven and Gar come too. And make sure he brings his lightsaber."

"We'll be there as soon as possible. Jinx out".

As Cyborg and Blackfire approached the scene they saw what looked like hundreds of robots, which began to fire on them.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven lied awake in bed, while Gar snored peacefully with a goofy and happy smile on his face. She smirked as she contemplated just how easy it was to make her mate's universe just right. She was caressing and kissing the scar on his chest, a painful souvenir of Ventress's near fatal lightsaber strike from nearly a year ago. She occasionally still had nightmares about that moment.

That was when every alarm went off in the tower. She heard Jinx's voice over the PA. "Brother Blood has been spotted downtown with an army of CyBots. We need everyone at Broadway and Market. Sorry Gar and Raven, but that includes you too. Bring your lightsaber!"

Raven grabbed her communicator. "Raven here, acknowledged. We'll be there ASAP."

She turned to rouse Gar but he was already dressed and slipping on his boots. Raven hastily dressed while he grabbed both of his lightsabers, handing Windu's lightsaber to her as soon as she was ready.

Her hair was unbrushed."I look like a mess." She complained.

"After this battle is over I think we all will."

Raven conjured a black disk that they both hopped on, and flew out a window that Gar opened using the Force.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing and Starfire were on their way back from Gordon Ramsey's restaurant after one of the best evenings they had shared in a long time. Nightwing reached for his communicator to call Alfred to tell him they would be home soon.

"Alfred, this is Nightwing, come in Alfred" but Alfred did not answer.

"Star, something's wrong. Alfred isn't answering." He addressed the driver. "Driver! Stop the car!"

The driver ignored them and began to speed up. The partition between them was closing, with a solid sheet of steel coming up. The same happened to all the windows in the passenger compartment. Gas started coming out from the A/C vents.

Starfire didn't need Nightwing to tell her what to do. With a perfect side kick she broke the armored door off its hinges, sending it flying into the street. She grabbed Nightwing's hand and not a moment too soon as he was turning blue from holding his breath. She flew out of the limo holding her husband under her left arm. She drew back her right hand, ready to throw a star bolt, but the limo had already vanished behind a bus.

She turned and flew to the hotel, holding a coughing Nightwing with both arms as they zipped through London.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven and Gar were the last to arrive. The Titan subs were struggling with the CyBots and were very glad to see the Logans arrive. Gar had already ignited his lightsaber.

"Where are Cy and Blackfire?" Raven asked.

"They saw Brother Blood and chased him down that alley." Pantha replied while punching a CyBot with her bare hands.

Raven and Gar joined their friends and began to demolish CyBots. Raven hoped that their friends would be OK facing Brother Blood alone.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"I'm warning you Blood, you're not getting away this time!" Cyborg screamed at his nemesis.

"Cyborg, Cyborg, who said anything about getting away. I came here for you. You were once my star pupil, if you recall, and you can be once again." Brother Blood said with a wicked grin. "And who is this pretty thing you brought with you? I was expecting to see Bumblebee." He continued to taunt.

Cyborg lunged at him, but Blood easily dodged and grabbed him, throwing Cyborg into a brick wall. Blackfire swooped at him also missing, and then shot at him with her repulsor rays, again missing.

"Slade is right, you have all become sloppy." He then extended his hand towards Blackfire. Red tendrils of energy shot from his fingertips, engulfing Blackfire who screamed in pain. Cyborg charged at Blood and threw a haymaker at him. Blood caught Cyborg's fist in his hand while he released Blackfire from the red energy and she crumpled onto the floor unconscious.

"What do you want?" Cyborg snarled at Blood.

"Nothing, I just came to bring you a present." Blood replied as he released Cyborg's fist.

Cyborg fell to the ground, bracing his fall with both hands. He felt a sensation in his right hand, a sensation that he had not felt since he infiltrated Blood's school. He stared at his hand and realized that his hand and forearm were real flesh and blood again.

"Don't tease me, Blood! I'm not in the mood." he yelled.

"Oh, this is no tease Cyborg. This gift is permanent, unlike last time. This time I want you to appreciate the gift, and realize that there is more were it came from."

Cyborg stared at him incredulously.

"I can make you a complete man Victor. A whole, complete man once again." He turned to Blackfire, who was beginning to stir. "Think about it Victor. She could really be your girlfriend, if you catch my drift."

"Leave him alone!" another male voice called out. Brother Blood calmly turned around. Why if it isn't my old friend Beast Boy and his sweetheart Raven. I heard that you're into sword duels my little green friend.

Garfield ignited his lightsaber and went into fighting stance, his left hand extended towards blood, pointing with his index and middle fingers and his right arm extended over his head, with this lightsaber pointing straight at Blood.

"You're going down Blood!" Gar hissed.

Blood laughed and shot his red lightning at Gar, who to Blood's surprise blocked it with his lightsaber. Gar extended his left hand and threw a powerful Force push, slamming Blood into the brick wall behind him, ending his lightning attack. Raven then trapped Blood with ropes of her dark energy, he struggled and managed to break free, just as Blackfire recovered and hit him with her repulsor rays, slamming Blood into the brick wall again, this time punching through it. Raven was the first to reach the hole, but it was too late, Brother Blood had escaped.

Gar ran to Cyborg, who was clutching his right forearm with his left hand. "Cy, are you OK? What did he do to you?"

 _ **-(-)-**_

Starfire and Nightwing flew into their hotel suite through an open window. Their hearts froze with what they saw. There had clearly been a struggle in the room. A large window was open and the curtains fluttered in breeze.

"Alfred! Where are you?" Nightwing called as Starfire frantically search the suite.

They were gone.

"Nightwing then noticed that the TV was on, with the words "Press Play For Message" on the screen. He picked up the remote and pressed play.

The Brain and Mallah appeared on the screen. The Brain spoke in his vocoder voice.

"Nightwing, Starfire, if you are watching this then I must congratulate you, as you have escaped from my little trap. But it does not matter, for as you can see I have captured your daughter and your butler. Return home, as I will soon send you a message with my demands."

Mallah laughed a hearty Gorilla laugh and the video ended. Nightwing smashed the table in front of him while Starfire screamed a hysterical "NOOOOOOO!"

 _ **-(-)-**_

Just wait until Bruce hears what happened to Alfred! The Bat Clan won't take this news sitting down.

Please review!


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28– Cy's Temptation

The Titans returned to the Tower after the battle. They succeeded in destroying all of Brother Blood's CyBots, but it was a hollow victory. Kid Flash and Bumblebee were seriously injured and were in the infirmary, along with Cyborg who was treating them at the same time he was examining his newly reformed arm. The rest of the Titans were mildly injured. Raven first tended to Wally's and Bumblebee's injuries before tending to the others. She and Gar came last, mostly because they had the fewest cuts and scratches.

After freshening up Raven and Gar went to the common room, where they met up with the rest of the Titans, at least the uninjured ones. Kid Flash and Bumble were still resting in the infirmary. Everyone else was crowded around Cyborg, checking out his new flesh and blood, when an incoming call from Nightwing came through on the big screen.

They all noticed his distraught face. "Dick, what's wrong? What happened" Cyborg asked.

In a nearly breathless voice he replied "Its Elizabeth and Alfred…they've been kidnapped by the Brotherhood of Evil." Starfire could be heard sobbing in the background.

The common room became deathly quiet. Then Vic broke the silence.

"Aren't you glad I put a tracking device in her?" he shouted as his fingers, both metal and flesh danced across the keyboard. A grin appeared on his face.

"I found her. You're not going to believe this, but she's over the Atlantic now, and judging by the speed I'm tracking she's in a jet that left London about an hour ago. Let me see if I can track that jet better…" his fingers continued to dance. "well how about that, it's a regular commercial flight to Bogota, Colombia. Avianca Airlines"

Gar whipped out his Republic communicator. "R6, prepare the two seat fighter for immediate launch." The Astromech trilled back in response. "Raven, you're coming with me."

"BB, what are you going to do?" Cy asked.

"We'll catch up with the airliner, have Rae teleport us aboard. We'll locate and rescue Lizzie".

"Good thinking Gar" Nightwing replied over his communicator. "I seriously doubt that Alfred is onboard that plane."

"I will join you friends!" Starfire said, her eyes glowing green.

"Good idea Star, we'll need someone to watch over the plane while we are inside. It's possible that the Brotherhood of Evil might try to shoot it down while we attempt the rescue. We have to be extra careful. There are hundreds of innocent people aboard that plane." Raven replied.

"Why not wait for the plane to land?" Jinx asked.

"Too risky." Nightwing replied. "They could disappear in the airport. We now have them captive on the plane, let's use that to our advantage. Plus I'm willing to bet that she's being carried by a mule. They were pretty clever, trying to get her out of the country by hiding her in a crowd. We would have detected a brotherhood jet easily."

"We also know that their base is in South America." Blackfire added.

Just then R6 whistled to Gar, who announced "The Jedi Fighter is ready! Let's go. Star, I'll send you rendezvous coordinates as soon as I have them. For now head to the Canary Islands."

"The Bat Clan is on its way to London." Nightwing shared. "Batman has already made contact with Scotland Yard. I'm supposed to meet an Inspector Morse in about 30 minutes. Gar, Raven, good luck. Bring her back."

"We will Richard, I promise." Raven replied "Let us know once Alfred is recovered."

"We will." Starfire replied "And thank you friends. We love you."

"We love you too." Raven said as she signed off.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing and Starfire embraced before she left 30 minutes earlier. The Bat Clan was scheduled to arrive in 3 hours, which meant that Nightwing now had to wait for Inspector Morse. The local CID had already been over the suite with a fine toothed comb and found no useful clues. Inspector Morse was England's liason with the Justice League, so he would be there for protocol reasons, or at least that's what Nightwing hoped.

A few minutes later a uniformed officer led two men to Nightwing. One was older and shorter, with gray hair and walked with a barely noticeable limp. The other was younger and taller.

The uniformed officer made the introductions. "Mr. Nightwing, this is Inspector Morse." Nightwing shook Morse's hand.

"Do you have a first name Inspector?" Nightwing asked.

"Yes I do. Do you?" Morse replied.

"Yes, but I don't use it."

"Neither do I. Just call me Morse. Oh and this is Sgt. Lewis."

"Right. Ok Morse, Batman should be arriving in 3 hours."

"Will he be coming alone?" Morse asked.

"No. Robin and Batgirl will be with him."

"You used to be Robin, correct?"

"Yes, until two years ago, as a matter of fact"

"I see." said Morse "Anyway, I'm sure that you are wondering about how we will work together."

"Yes."

"The Prime Minister has instructed us to work with you. Keep in mind that you must always operate within the limits of our laws. You may investigate freely, but roughing up suspects is not permitted, unless they become violent first. I am glad that you do not use firearms, but I am concerned about some of your less conventional weapons. All I ask is that you use common sense."

"Sounds reasonable to me."

"Very well, contact me once Batman arrives." Morse began to walk away, but stopped. "This valet who was kidnapped, he must be very special for Batman himself to come looking for him."

Nightwing looked somewhat alarmed at Morse's words.

"Don't worry Mr. Grayson. The Prime Minister has instructed us on the importance of keeping your identities secret. Your and Mr. Wayne's secret is safe with the Sgt. and me."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar pointed and shouted at Raven "There it is!"

"Where's Starfire? I can't see her."

"She's over there, about a mile behind the plane" he opened his communicator "Star, can you see us?"

"Affirmative" she replied over the roaring sound of the air whooshing past her at over 500 knots. "I will stay back and watch out for bogeys".

"We'll let you know once we have Elizabeth, Gar out."

Gar maneuvered the Jedi fighter until it was below the Boeing 777, low enough to stay out of its wake.

"R6, keep the fighter here until we return."He turned to Raven "Let's do it!"

Raven placed a hand on his shoulder and blackness engulfed them. They reappeared in the galley and their timing was perfect, no one was there as the attendants were serving lunch. Raven was already dressed as an Avianca flight attendant.

"OK, I'm going to find her." Gar said as he morphed into a fly and took off. Raven hid in a restroom, waiting for him to return.

After a few minutes there was a knock on the door, she cracked it open and once she saw it was Gar she let him in.

"She's in row 12 seat B. Definitely a mule, the woman only speaks Spanish. No sign of Alfred. I think she has some goons watching her."

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

He proceeded to explain.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven walked down the aisle, in her flight attendant costume, carrying a can of orange juice. Gar had morphed into a mouse and was hidden in her apron pocket.

As she approached seat 12B, which was an aisle seat she scanned for the goons. They were there but appeared to be napping.

She offered the woman a refill "¿Quiere mas jugo de naranja?" The baby was definitely Elizabeth.

The woman responded "Si, por favor".

Raven picked up her glass and refilled it, as Gar watched from the apron pocket. Raven handed the glass to the woman, who responded "Gracias".

That was Gar's cue. He placed a Force choke on the woman, who panicked and released Elizabeth. Raven snatched the baby and uttered her mantra "Azarath Metrion Zinthos". Once the darkness subsided they found themselves back on the Jedi fighter before the goons were able to get out of their seats.

Gar crawled back to his seat and morphed back into his human form. "That was brilliant Rae, you deserve an Oscar. Your Spanish was perfect."

"Gracias, mi amor." she replied with a grin.

Gar opened his communicator. "Star! We got her, let's go home!"

"Glorious!" she replied "I knew you would be victorious!"

Gar turned the Jedi Fighter back towards Jump City and turned on the after burners, followed by Starfire.

"One down, one to go" he cheered.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Once the news of the successful rescue reached the tower the cheering began. Cyborg and Blackfire began preparing the celebration with what they had on hand, and joined the others at the roof top hangar as the rescue party returned.

As soon as the fighter landed Gar popped both canopies open, allowing Starfire to take Elizabeth from Raven.

As Cyborg gave her a celebratory hug, Starfire noticed his arm.

"Victor, what happened to your arm?" she asked.

Cyborg then explained to her what happened with Brother Blood.

"This is most serious, Victor. He is trying to tempt you." She paused before continuing.

"You have feelings for my sister, right?"

He nodded. "You know, I figured that we would be just good friends. I mean, how could I be any more than that in my current state. I had given up on ever getting married and having kids. Then this happens. It's so tempting Star, you have no idea."

"But at what price? He would demand a terrible payment for the favor."

"I know Star, I know. But he's smart Star, so smart. He gave this back to me, permanently. I was able to caress Blackfire's face for the first time and actually feel it. And it felt good, I mean real good." Tears began to well up in his real eye.

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it tight. "We will get through this together, my friend, I promise you."

"I know Star, I know." He replied.

-(-)-

Raven and Blackfire witnessed Starfire's and Vic's exchange, overhearing everything.

"It isn't fair, Raven, it just isn't fair." Blackfire said bitterly. "Vic deserves better."

"And so do you." Raven calmly replied.

"You understand?" Blackfire asked.

"Of course I do. I am a married woman after all. I understand the need to share physical intimacy with a soul mate."

Blackfire focused intently on Raven as she continued to speak.

"When I was younger I had a hard time controlling my powers. It's one of the reasons why I kept pushing Gar away from me. At the time I thought that I would never experience love or physical intimacy and it was a terrible burden. It killed me to see Gar fall in love with Terra which is why I still hate her, and then Malchior tricked me. I hit rock bottom. But Gar was there. He was always there."

"Raven, I never knew that." Blackfire responded softly.

"When Terra dumped him the second time I was beginning to detach my powers from my emotions, so I took a chance. That's why we started out slowly, I was still afraid of losing control and hurting Gar. But it didn't happen. I still can't believe how lucky I am. I suppose it's also why I am so afraid of losing him. I haven't told anyone other than Gar this, but I want us to retire soon from the hero business. I just want to have a normal life." A single tear dripped from her left eye. Blackfire saw it and embraced her.

"I understand Raven, I really do."

Raven regained her composure and continued. "But whatever you two do, don't go back to Brother Blood. The price he'll demand will be too great. You'd be selling your souls to him, and I'm not exaggerating."

"Then what are we supposed to do Raven? Victor was right about caressing me with his real hand. It sent shivers down my spine. A lot of men have courted me Raven, and I've never felt this way. What are we going to do?"

"Be patient." Raven replied. "I am working on a spell that could help Vic. But it might not be ready for some time. Please wait. It will be worth it, I promise. And watch out for Brother Blood. He will up the ante once he realizes that Vic isn't coming back, I am certain of that. Just promise me one thing."

"Of course, anything."

Raven smiled. "I get to be your Matron of Honor when you marry Vic."

"Deal" Blackfire smiled back. "Starfire will be disappointed."

"So will Bumblebee." She smirked.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Batman, Robin and Batgirl arrived at City Airport on the Wayne I, which was Bruce's personal 747. They had loaded it with just about every vehicle and contraption that was in the Batcave. The Prime Minister had issued a customs and immigration waivers for the jet's cargo and passengers. Nightwing was waiting for them, as were Inspector Morse and Sgt. Lewis.

The trio deplaned together and were greeted by Nightwing, who introduced them to Morse and Lewis.

"I have news." the Dark Knight shared. "Wayne Enterprises received a ransom request for Alfred. A Colombian drug cartel is demanding 10,000,000 Euros for his safe return. Apparently they were hired by the Brotherhood of Evil to perform the kidnapping. Elizabeth is on her way to Colombia as we speak."

"I have better news." Nightwing beamed. "Just five minutes ago Raven contacted me. She and Gar got onto the plane and rescued Elizabeth. They're on their way back to Jump City."

"That is good news indeed. But we need to move fast now if we are to save Alfred. Once they find out that Elizabeth is gone they might harm him." He turned to Morse.

"Inspector, as much as I hate to do this, I will pay the ransom, and we need to do it fast. The plane arrives in Bogota in 5 hours."

"I will make the arrangements; do you have the contact info?" Morse asked.

"On this data pad. It has an account # with Barclay's Bank for the ransom cash."

Morse took the data pad "We'll have MI6 help with this." and promptly left with Lewis.

"This is new for you." Nightwing said.

"Time is of the essence, plus we need to get back to Gotham. Dick, I want you to come back with us."

"You want me to rejoin the Bat Clan?" the surprise was clear on his face. "What about Starfire and Lizzie?"

"They can come of course. Starfire can join the clan if she wishes."

"What about the Titans? I'm their leader."

"Let Garfield take over. He's got what it takes."

"That's not the point Bruce. The Titans are family."

"So is the Bat Clan, and we were your family before the Titans. And it's not like you will be forsaking them, I've always thought of the Titans as an extension of the Bat Clan."

"Why do you want me to come?"

"I need you, Dick; Gotham is going to be the focus of the attack by the axis of evil. I also need you to work with Terra. Her powers are incredible but she needs to learn the ways of the clan."

"Alright Bruce, but it's only temporary. And I'm going home first."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar was lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling; it was 5:00 AM. Raven was asleep, snuggled up next to him, her warm gray arm draped over his green chest. Dick had contacted him privately just after the rescue celebration had ended with the news of rejoining the Bat Clan and that Gar would be taking over as the Titan's leader. Dick asked him not to share this news, as he would announce it publicly when he got back later next morning.

In her sleep Raven sensed his agitation and woke up.

"Gar?" she asked sleepily "what's wrong?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you…but I will anyway."

She sat up; now fully awake "What is it?"

"Dick's been recalled to the Bat Clan and he's asked me to take over here."

"What? Why? Who does Bruce think he is anyway? He doesn't own us." she said crossly.

"Dick said that he would explain all in the morning. I expect that Star and Lizzie will be going to Gotham as well."

"Well, at least I know now why you're so upset." She got up and put on her Japanese robe. "We might as well get up. I know I can't get back to sleep after hearing that."

"No kidding." he replied.

"I have some news to share as well. It turns out that Vic and Blackfire are in love. As in 'let's get married' love."

"Pfftt! I already knew that."

"Did you know that they're tempted to return to Brother Blood so Vic can get his whole body back."

"You mean everything?" Gar asked.

"Yes, everything.." She replied.

"I can't blame him for feeling that way. I wouldn't be too happy if all I could do was hug and kiss you."

"Me too." She agreed.

He sighed. "So what are we going to do?"

"I promised Blackfire that I would find a way to restore Vic's human body."

"You can do that?"

"I'm not sure, I mean given enough time I think I could. I'm just worried that they will get impatient and reconsider to Blood's offer."

"I'll talk with Vic later. Man, life can be a bitch."

"Especially when you're the new leader of the Titans." She kissed him softly. "Don't worry; you know I'm right behind you, don't you?

"Why do you think I haven't freaked out yet?" he said as he kissed her back.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Victor woke up too early. It was still dark outside. _Man, I'm cold. Hey, that's not possible. What's going on?_

Victor jumped off his sleep platform and felt very strange. For one thing it was harder to see in the dark. _My night vision must be on the blink._ It wasn't until he looked down that it all made sense.

 _Hey, I'm naked. I'M NAKED!? What's going on here?_

He heard a voice in his head. It was Brother Blood.

 _Victor, Victor, you are being indecisive. So I'm going to help you. I've decided to give you a better preview of what's to come, so here's the deal: You can have your full human body back for a week. After that I'll restore you to your bionic form. Then we can discuss your future. Oh, and say hi to Blackfire for me. If you come back we definitely can make room for her too._

Victor screamed at the top of his lungs.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Poor Vic, what will he do?

I also added Spanish to Raven's repertoire of languages.

Also, I patterned (no, I ripped off) Inspector Morse and Sgt. Lewis from Collin Dexter's Inspector Morse novels. The late John Thaw did a memorable performance as Morse on a series of 33 BBC specials. There is now a spin off show about Sgt. Lewis who is now an Inspector himself, set years after Morse's passing away.


	29. Chapter 29

– A Team Divided

Raven and Gar heard Vic scream. Gar, clad only in his boxers, leaped to his feet and grabbed his lightsaber. Raven stopped him before he could run out the door and teleported them both to the hallway outside Vic's room. Blackfire was already there as well.

With a Force push Gar knocked Vic's door down and the three charged into his room. They didn't expect to find what they did.

A muscular young black male stood before them in total shock. They too were in shock, because the stranger standing before them was stark naked.

"Cy!" Gar shouted, where are you?"

"Victor?" Blackfire asked with a bewildered look on her face. "Is that you?"

Victor snapped out of his trance. After a moment he recognized his friends, and then he realized his own situation.

"Shit!" He yelled before hiding himself.

"Victor?!" Gar and Rae both called out as well.

"Yeah, it's me." He called back.

"Dude! What happened to you? Why are you naked?" Gar asked.

"It was Blood man; he gave me my whole body back for a week."

"I knew it!" Raven snarled "I knew that he wouldn't give up. Vic, why did you accept?"

"I didn't Raven, I swear. I was asleep and woke up like this. Then I heard Blood's voice. He said it would last for a week, and then we would talk."

By this time all the other Titans had arrived and Vic was beginning to feel very self conscious.

"BB, can you get me something to wear? I'm freezing and it's not cool being naked in front of everybody."

"I don't think that we have anything large enough for you." He paused to think. "Wait, I do have something."'

Gar shot out of the room using Force enhanced speed. He was gone for a few minutes before returning with a cardboard box.

"It's one of Jarvik's Jedi outfits, the one he wore when Slade attacked the mall. It was damaged and never got fixed up. It'll do for now."

He handed the box to Vic and turned around. "OK everyone, show's over, now get out!"

Vic emerged from his room a few minutes later. Gar thought he looked like a young Mace Windu. Ahsoka had shown him a few pictures of Jedi, including Obi Wan, Anakin and Master Windu.

Blackfire ran to Victor. She cradled his face in her hands, and kissed him deeply and passionately, her hands were exploring every corner of his now fleshy body. Raven pulled her away from Victor.

"I'm sorry guys, but this is exactly what Brother Blood wants you to do." Raven apologized.

"Raven's right. You two shouldn't see each other until Blood's spell is broken." Gar added.

Starfire hugged her sister. "You must be strong sister. Someday you and Victor will be as one, but it cannot be this way."

Victor turned around and hid in his room. Gar followed him in. "Raven?" he turned around.

She noticed that Gar was still only wearing his boxers. "Yes, I'll bring you some clothes."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing arrived mid morning. Raven met him at the airport and flew him back to the Tower on one of her disks. She briefed him regarding what had happened to Cyborg. She also told him that she knew he was leaving for Gotham.

"Why didn't you tell Bruce to go to hell?" She asked him.

"It's not that easy." He tried to explain. "I'm a Titan, but I'm also a member of the Bat Clan. He has his reasons. He needs me."

"And we don't?" she snorted "Gar was so agitated last night that his emotions woke me up. If he's been this affected, imagine how the others are going to be when you drop this bomb on them."

"It's only temporary Raven. We'll be back."

"The team's scared as it is Richard, Wally and Bumblebee are still recovering from our encounter with Brother Blood. Cyborg's powerless and Blackfire is pining so badly for him that she's useless. That leaves me, Gar and three subs to face Brother Blood the next time he strikes."

"I know, but Oracle has intelligence reports about the Brotherhood of Evil. They're getting ready to strike at Gotham."

"Any news on Slade?" she asked.

"Just that he's working with Brother Blood." He sighed.

They arrived at the Tower, landing on the roof. Starfire and Lizzie were waiting for him. He leaped off the disk and ran to them, smothering them in hugs and kisses.

He then turned to Raven, hugged her and kissed her on her cheek. "Thanks for saving her." his voice betrayed the fear he experienced.

Raven returned the kiss and hugged him tightly. "Go spend some time with them. The announcement can wait."

 _ **-(-)-**_

 _Much later ..._

Gar knocked on Vic's door and entered. "I got the stuff you asked me for." Gar handed Vic a large shopping bag full of new clothes. "I hope they fit right."

"Thanks man. I'm sick of this stupid Jedi suit" he looked up at Gar "Sorry man, I didn't mean it that way."

"No sweat, dude. I hate them too. Ever notice I never wear mine?"

"It actually looks good on you." Vic said diplomatically.

"Yeah, whatever." He laughed. "So how are you feeling now?"

"Weird. I've been Cyborg for so long that being 100% flesh and blood Vic Stone seems strange. And knowing that in a few days I'll wake up and I'll be Cyborg again makes it seem less real."

Gar stared at him, with a troubled look on his face.

"I have to take him out Cy, because if I don't he's going to destroy us."

"What? By yourself? I told you eating all that tofu would rot your brain. You think Raven is going to let you take on Blood alone? No way man."

"I'm the only one who can take him down. As in for good." His voice trailed off.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean we aren't going to help you. And what's Nightwing going to say?"

"Speaking of which, he has an announcement he's giving in a few minutes. Come on Vic, let's go".

 _ **-(-)-**_

As Raven had predicted the announcement went over like a lead balloon. Nightwing informed them that he, Starfire and Elizabeth would be leaving for Gotham that evening and repeated the reasons he gave Raven earlier.

Gar watched the scene, standing next to Nightwing. He could see the shock and concern in the team, now his team. He had to do something to make them snap out of it, but didn't know what to do. Once Nightwing finished he stepped forward. He glanced at Raven who gave him a small smile. It was time to suck it up.

"OK Team, nothing's changed. We're still the Titans and were going to protect our city."

He paused, and looked at Raven again. She nodded, knowing what he was going to say next.

"I have an announcement of my own. Effective today our 3 honorary Titans are no longer guests; they are now permanent members of the Team. Kid Flash, Hot Spot, Jinx, welcome to the team."

There was a small round of applause.

"I also wish to thank Bumblebee and Pantha for taking time away from Titans East and South to help us. I am now placing all branches of the Titans worldwide on the highest level of alert and am sending you back to your teams."

"Thanks Gar." Bumblebee replied "It's always an honor to serve here." Pantha nodded in acknowledgment as well.

"And finally, I'm placing Victor on medical leave until we sort out his condition. No missions, you understand Vic?"

There were a few murmurs in crowd, but no one spoke up.

"That's all. Everyone report for training tomorrow at 9:00 AM. You're dismissed."

As everyone filed out of the room Raven came to him and took his hand.

"You did fine." She told him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks. For a moment there I thought I was going to barf. I don't want to lead the lead the team."

He turned and looked at her in the eyes.

"We have to take Blood down, and soon. The code be damned."

Raven nodded "I know. Do you have a plan?"

"He's well hidden. He's probably in one of Slade's secret lairs."

"We're going to need Terra's help." She acknowledged.

"Right. I'll have Richard ask her. In the meantime we need to keep a close eye Victor and Blackfire."

"Gar, what are we going to do if they throw caution to the wind? We're not their parents."

"I know. Blood wants them to become intimate. If they do that will give him control over them. We could lose them both." He said wearily as he rubbed his eyes.

"You hungry?"

"Sure, why?" he replied.

"Let's get out of here and have something nice for lunch."

"That's the first good thing I've heard all day."

 _ **-(-)-**_

It was now the Grayson's second day at Wayne Manor. Much to Nightwing's relief Alfred had been safely recovered after the ransom was paid to the drug dealers, who at the time were unaware that Elizabeth had been snatched from the plane by Raven and Gar. Still that arrangement left a bad taste in the Bat Clan's collective mouths. Paying a ransom wasn't in their DNA.

Starfire was unhappy with the Grayson's situation, especially since Richard did not consult with her before agreeing to return. And she was going to let him know it.

Nightwing was working with Barbara in the Bat Cave that morning, poring over intelligence reports. Since Starfire formally accepted Batman's offer to join the clan she was given full access to the cave, which is where she found Richard.

"Good morning, husband, I see that some habits do not change."

Nightwing turned towards his lovely wife. "I didn't wake you when I got up did I?"

"No, you never do. Would you like to join me for breakfast?" she said with a slight hint of crossness in her voice.

"No thanks, I already had breakfast with Babs" he replied absentmindedly while reading yet another report.

Barbara elbowed him "Oh yeah, I've got something for you. I'll be right back!" and he ran off.

"How are you Kori?" Barbara asked her.

"I will be honest Barbara, I'm not very happy with this situation."

"I understand. If there's anything I can do, just let me know."

They heard footfalls on the staircase from the mansion. Star turned and saw a tall female figure dressed in a Bat Clan costume. She wore a cowl and for a moment she thought it was Cassie, the current Batgirl, but the costume was different. She then realized that it looked like Barbara's old Batgirl costume.

"Hey guys, what's up?" the figure called out cheerfully.

"Terra? Are you the Batgirl now?" Starfire asked.

Terra laughed. "Oh no! Cassie's Batgirl. I still need to pick a hero name for myself."

Starfire was intrigued. "So what have you considered?"

"Well, since I'm an adult I thought I could be BatWoman, but Bruce shot that down right away."

Starfire giggled "BatWoman does not suit you."

"I know, it sounds so matronly, doesn't it. But I just had another idea. Robin is named after a bird, so I thought maybe I could be too. Then I thought of a cool name: Ravenclaw, you know like from the Harry Potter stories."

Starfire's expression became very stern. "Terra, you are joking, right?"

"What?" Terra replied indignantly.

"Terra" Barbara joined in "There's already a Raven in the extended Bat Clan."

Terra huffed.

"Terra, why are you always trying to irritate Raven? Is it because you are still in love with Garfield?" Starfire asked.

Terra flinched at the accusation. Then she shot back "What's it to you if am?" her voice was bitter.

Starfire shook her head sadly. "Terra, you must let it go. Gar belongs to Raven, and it will always be that way."

"And you think I don't know that? Why do you think I go out of my way to piss her off? It's my way of getting even with her for stealing him from me."

Starfire stood up, her fists clenched, with star bolts forming around them. "She did no such thing Terra. If anything she stepped aside to give you a chance. Twice I might add, and both times you threw it away and ran off with Slade."

Barbara spun her wheelchair around. "OK ladies, let's just calm down."

As if on cue, Nightwing returned with a large cardboard box. "Did I miss something?" he asked.

"Terra is threatening to steal Gar from Raven" Star replied angrily.

"I said no such thing!" Terra snarled.

"OK, timeout!" Nightwing howled. "The last thing we need is for Bruce to walk into a cat fight in the Bat Cave. That would go over just great."

"I'm sorry, Richard." Star apologized.

"Yeah, me too." Terra said halfheartedly.

"Just watch it Terra, you're still on probation." Nightwing reminded her. "We still have an opening in the new Titans Polar station, you know."

He then turned to Starfire "I have a gift for you, why don't you go try it on?" She looked at the box with a puzzled look. "Come on, try it on. There's a room in the back if you want some privacy."

"OK" she answered. She took the box and headed for the room.

She emerged from the room a few minutes later with a huge grin on her face.

"Richard, I love it. I wish Gar and Raven could see it. It is the cool!"

She was wearing a female version of Nightwing's costume, but hers also had a short cape.

"I remembered how much you loved the cape on my old Robin costume, so I added a cape to it. The mask is optional. I think everyone already knows that we're married."

"I like the mask. Raven was right, it does makes you feel cool."

"So" Terra asked. "What's your Bat Clan name going to be?"

Star smiled a big grin "Oh that is easy. I'm Nightfire!"

"I love it!" Barbara chimed in.

"Welcome to the clan, Nightfire." A deeper male voice spoke.

Everyone spun around. It was the Dark Knight himself.

"And I think I have a name for you Terra. We will call you 'Phoenix.'"

"I thought he was going to suggest 'BatBitch'" Dick whispered to Star, who suppressed a giggle.

"Phoenix?" Terra asked.

"Of course." Starfire answered. "Like the mythical bird you too have risen from your ashes."

"Well, if you guys like it, then I like it." She smiled. "But I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"No, you don't." Batman quickly replied.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Star your costume looks great." Raven said "And I think Nightfire is a great name."

Gar was looking glum, as he was having a separate conversation. "OK then, we'll keep in touch. Terra, call if you can think of anyplace Slade and Blood might be hiding."

"Sure thing BB." She winked at him. "Sorry I wasn't any help. And you can call me Phoenix".

"It's OK. Titans out." Gar flipped a switch, severing the link between Gar's office and the Bat Cave.

"Oh great, that's just great. They're never coming back now." He moaned.

"Why are you so sure?" Raven asked him and ending her conversation with "Nightfire".

"Star's got a costume now. Rave, and a new name. We are so screwed. But I wouldn't blame him for not coming back. I mean, look at all this paperwork. And the bills! How did he ever make ends meet? And on top of that he found time to lead a team?" he sighed as he rubbed his temples. "My head hurts."

Then the alarm went off.

"Oh please, please let it be some loser like Control Freak or Mumbo." He whined as he and Raven ran to the ops station in the common room.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Victor was at the ops station, typing away.

"What have we got Vic?" Gar asked.

"Three different incidents. Sladebots are robbing a bank downtown. Adonis and Johnny Rancid are wrecking havoc at Jump City College, stealing the tuition receipts. And there are reports of CyBots trying to break into Wayne Enterprises."

Gar took command. "Raven and I will tackle the CyBots. I'll bet anything that Blood will be there. Blackfire and Jinx, you take the SladeBots and watch out for Slade. Hot Spot and Kid Flash, go to the College. Everyone be extra careful, the Force tells me there's a trap. Titans Go!"

 _ **-(-)-**_

OK, we're gonna have some action next time. The Bat Clan will start having some of their own headaches as well.


	30. Chapter 30

– Ambush

Hot Spot and Kid Flash were the first to arrive at their destination. Kid Flash had already been on site for a few minutes and had scouted out the situation by the time Hot Spot flew in.

"It looks pretty straightforward. Rancid and Adonis are in the student union. Some of Rancid's robo animals are prowling the grounds." Kid Flash reported.

"This doesn't make any sense. Other than the Credit Union, there's no cash in there. What are they going to steal? Jump City College hoodies?" Hot Spot replied.

"Well, we can't just stay out here watching. They have to be arrested, even if their crimes are stupid." Kid Flash protested.

"Fine, I'll take Rancid, you take Adonis." Hot Spot agreed.

"Let's do it."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Blackfire carried Jinx to the downtown crime scene. There were over two hundred SladeBots, fanned out over a two block radius.

"Doesn't this seem like overkill to rob a bank, even for Slade?" Jinx asked.

"It does. But we still have to stop them." Blackfire remarked as she charged up her gauntlets. "Let's get them."

She rose in the air, blasting SladeBots with her eye beams and repulsor rays.

Jinx joined in, casting bad luck spells that made the Sladebots malfunction.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar and Raven arrived at Wayne Enterprises on one of Raven's dark disks, which had become their preferred mode of transportation lately. Each carried a lightsaber, Raven had Windu's old lightsaber hanging from her belt while Gar had his personal lightsaber, which he had built himself. During the year since their encounter with Ventress Gar had trained Raven to use a lightsaber. She was a decent dueler, even if she could not tap into the Force herself. She would be no match for a Jedi or a Sith apprentice, but against a regular opponent she could be quite deadly with her lightsaber. Not that she planned on ever using it given her own formidable powers. Still, even she admitted that it was a nice backup weapon.

The first thing they noticed was that there were no CyBots to be seen. The main entrance to the Wayne Enterprises building had been demolished.

"What does Bruce do at this facility?" Gar asked.

"Nuclear research. They have all sorts of nuclear materials in there." Raven replied.

Gar's ears drooped. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"What does the Force tell you?"

Gar closed his eyes and focused.

"Great danger lies ahead." He sighed "That's it."

" Well, duh!" Raven replied sarcastically.

Gar glanced back at her.

"Let's be careful." he begged her. He fired up his lightsaber. "OK, let's go in."

 _ **-(-)-**_

The entire Bat Clan was in the Bat Cave, monitoring the breaking news from Jump City. Nightwing had been training Phoenix (Terra) and Nightfire (Star) on how to use their utility belts earlier that day. Star was already very familiar with the Bat Clan weapons and was able to quickly learn to use them. Terra, being less athletic than the Tamaranian princess took longer, but eventually mastered the many tools such as the batarang and grappling hooks. Nightwing couldn't help but notice that they both looked stunning in their costumes, as did Cassie. If good looks could be used as a weapon, they would be invincible.

The Dark Knight wasn't feeling so upbeat.

"It's obvious that the Jump City attackers are trying to split up the Titans. We should expect the same here in Gotham, and it should be imminent. We will divide into no more than 3 teams: Nightwing and Nightfire, Batgirl and Phoenix. Robin & I will be the third team."

"It is likely that we are being set up, so I want you to retreat at the first sign of trouble. It's also possible that the Titans may suffer casualties or be captured."

"Will we be able to assist the Titans?" Starfire asked.

"If the need arises and we are able, then yes. But I have to warn you Nightfire that it's likely that we will be too busy to help them. But if they need to they can retreat here and regroup."

Just then several alarms went off in the Bat Cave. Barbara looked up from her console.

"The Joker has hit the local Federal Reserve branch. The Mad Hatter has kidnapped the Mayor and his family. Two-Face is robbing the Metropolitan museum. The Scarecrow has taken over the local water works. The Penguin is threatening to blow up the Bay Bridge, and there's more." She reported.

"It's going to be a long night. I'll take the Joker. Batgirl and Phoenix, you rescue the Mayor. Nightwing and Nightfire, secure the water works. Once you complete your assignment Barbara will give you a new one. Be careful, as I said before, these are traps."

Batman and Robin left in the Batmobile, while Batgirl and Phoenix flew away on a boulder. Nightfire carried Nightwing to the water works.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The Student Union was eerily quiet as Hot Spot and Kid Flash entered. Clearly Rancid and Adonis had been there, judging by all the destruction.

"In the bookstore, I heard something!" Kid Flash called. The two cautiously entered the college bookstore, carefully stepping through the debris of the trashed store as if it were an obstacle course.

"I heard something too; it sounds like someone calling for help in the back" Hot Spot said.

"Who's there? Do you need help? We're the Titans. Where are you?" They called.

"Over here! Help!" A voice called out from the storage room.

"We're coming! Hang in there!" Kid Flashed called out.

As he pushed open the store room door there was an explosion. There was gas everywhere. The two Titans lost consciousness.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Jinx and Blackfire were fighting tooth and nail with the SladeBots, who were targeting any civilians they could find.

"They have Blasters!" Jinx wailed.

"No doubt Slade acquired that technology from the Imperials" Blackfire grunted.

"I don't think this is a bank robbery" Jinx noted.

"No its not, but we have to destroy the SladeBots before they destroy downtown" Blackfire replied. "We have to separate. You take the blocks north of the bank, and I'll take the ones south."

"OK, sounds like a plan!" Jinx replied and she headed north.

She was busy taking out SladeBots when she spotted Slade and began to chase him. Seeing her coming he fled. She gave chase until she cornered him in an alley. He was about to charge her when a brick wall collapsed on him, knocking him out.

Jinx approached Slade's unconscious form and removed his mask.

"Damn, it's just another SladeBot" she cursed.

Then she heard a female voice call from behind her.

"So Jinx, we meet again. It has been too long."

Jinx managed to say "No, not you!" before she was knocked out.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar and Raven gingerly entered the Wayne Enterprises building.

"Gar, I hate to admit this, but I'm scared."

"Me too Rae, me too." He replied."You know what? This is a bad idea. The Force is telling me to get out of here."

"Fine with me." She replied.

As they turned to leave they found a surprise waiting for them. It was Brother Blood and Slade.

"I'll take Blood" Gar said.

"And I'll take Slade." Raven replied.

Brother Blood grinned at Gar. "I have a surprise for you today Beast Boy." He sneered as he pulled a cylinder from his cloak. He flipped a switch and it made the familiar snap-hiss ignition sound. The lightsaber had a red blade.

"A gift from my good friend Slade." He taunted Gar.

"Big mistake, Blood" Gar sneered back "The Force is not with you!" Then he charged at Blood with supernatural speed, almost overwhelming him with his first strikes.

Meanwhile Raven and Slade were sizing each other out.

"I'm going to make you pay Raven, pay for taking my Terra from me."

"You ditched her yourself, you slime bag, don't blame us!" Her eyes were glowing black and her entire body was crackling with black energy.

"Raven, I heard that Terra has her eyes on your green boy toy. How does that make you feel?"

"I'm not 14 anymore, Slade. You need new tricks!" she said as she threw a dark energy bolt at Slade, who deftly dodged it. "And last I heard Terra was happy to be rid of you. She even had your marriage annulled."

Brother Blood was an excellent dueler, but he was clearly outmatched by Gar. He kept falling back and realized that he would soon be cornered. He decided to take a chance and launched a counterattack. Gar was ready. He deftly parried away Blood's predictable strikes and with a precise stroke hit his lightsaber, slicing off the blade emitter. Blood's lightsaber was dead and he dropped it. Blood leaped over Gar, just out of reach from his lightsaber and landed behind Raven, who was fighting Slade and had her back to Blood. He blasted her with his red lightning. Raven cried out, convulsed and then fell unconscious as Blood ran to join Slade.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Blackfire finished destroying all the SladeBots in her sector and moved to Jinx's sector to help her mop up whatever was left. She found none and Jinx was nowhere to be found. She pulled out her communicator and called for Jinx, who did not respond. Her communicator did report its coordinates, and Blackfire traced it to an alley. She found the communicator lying on the ground.

"Damn it Jinx, where are you?" she shouted.

"She's not here, my Tamaranian friend."

Blackfire spun around and saw a woman with dark hair, dressed in red.

"Madame Rouge!" Blackfire hissed.

Rouge smiled coyly. "Nice to meet you, Blackfire of Tamaran"

Nightwing had told her about Rouge. Blackfire decided to strike first and hard. She threw everything she had at Rouge, who was able to dodge her attacks. Blackfire then heard SladeBots approaching and quickly realized that she would be captured if she didn't escape. She took to the sky and quickly got away. One thing she retained from her old days was a strong sense of self preservation. She had long ago learned to recognize a lost cause, and this was one of them. She couldn't help rescue Jinx if she was captured herself. For now, the hextress was on her own.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Blood and Slade towered over Raven's limp form.

"Surrender Beast Boy, and we will not harm her." Blood offered.

Gar shut down his lightsaber and attached it to his belt.

"Your lightsaber, please." Slade demanded.

Gar knew that once he surrendered his weapon they would kill Raven, but if he attacked them one would kill her before he could dispatch the two of them.

He knew that he had only one choice. It would be distasteful, but he had to do it to save her.

"Your lightsaber! Now!" Slade demanded.

Gar's eyes began to glow red. He was feeling pure hatred for the two cowards. _How dare they threaten to harm her?_ He also was terrified of losing her. Anger, fear and hatred welled within his chest.

He raised both his hands towards the men. "Go to hell!" He screamed as Force lightning leaped from his fingertips towards the two men, who were engulfed by the deadly energy and began to twist and scream in agony.

Gar felt the raw power running through him and enjoyed it. He took pleasure in seeing his enemies writhe in pain, begging him for mercy. They would find none.

He paused, looked upon his enemies, their bodies smoldering from the lightning, and he addressed them. "Slade, Blood, are you ready to die?" His eyes glowed even redder than before.

As he prepared to give the two the coup de grace, he heard Raven call out to him in a weak voice. "Gar, please help me."

Her voice snapped him out of his Dark Side trance. He rushed to her side and examined her. She had light burns on her skin. She looked at him. "Oh Gar, are you OK?"

He turned to the two villains, who still lay on the ground, and was tempted to finish them off right there and then. He could still feel the grip of the dark side on him but resisted the temptation. Instead he reached into his utility belt and withdrew two tiny tracers, placing one on each villain. He would deal with them later. Raven needed his attention now.

He scooped her up and ran to the exit carrying her in his arms. He stopped and shouted "Blood, Slade, next time you won't be so lucky!" As he exited the building he attached his lightsaber to her belt, morphed into a giant pterosaur, and flew her back to the Tower, where Victor saw the tracers activate and began to track the villains.

 _ **-(-)-**_

As Nightwing and Nightfire approached the water works they donned their gas masks. Nightfire was unnerved at the prospect of being gassed with Scarecrow's vile poisons.

It was silent when they arrived. There was no sign of Crane or his henchmen.

"I do not like this." Nightfire whispered to her husband.

"You shouldn't. Scarecrow is a psychopath that makes Slade look like Mother Teresa."

Suddenly they were stormed by dozens of Crane's henchmen. Nightfire easily batted them away, until one of them was able to knock away her gas mask, which went flying.

Nightwing noticed this. "Star, get out of here! They'll gas you!

Suddenly there was a hissing sound. "Go! They're releasing the gas!"

"Not without you!" she screamed. She flew up and threw star bolts at the henchmen, dispersing them. She then saw the Nightwing had also lost his mask and was holding his breath, surrounded by mists of the gas.

Holding her own breath she dive bombed into the crowd, plucking Nightwing away.

"No Star, we have to go back. They're going to poison the water works. We have to stop them!"

"No, Richard, we failed, our orders are to retreat if we are in trouble… I am sorry." She told him as they sped away.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Batgirl and Phoenix approached the Mayor's mansion in complete silence, floating on a boulder as they surveyed the grounds.

"Over there, the guest house." Phoenix whispered "Way too much light and activity."

"Yes" Cassie agreed "That's where they want us to think they are keeping them".

"So there's the trap. What do we do now?"

"Spring the trap." Cassie replied.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Batman and Robin stood before the entrance to the Federal Reserve branch. The double doors were shut but there appeared to be a party going on inside. The Joker's maniacal laugh could be heard above the din.

"Mistah J, this is the best party ever!" Harley shouted over the crowd.

Batman grunted in disgust and reached for a grappling hook gun. "We'll enter from the top" he told Robin, who also had his grappling hook gun ready.

"Harley, Harley!" the Joker shouted "Where are our manners?"

Batman grimaced, knowing that the Joker was going to try to pull something on them.

"Our guests of honor are outside in the cold! That just won't do! We have to welcome them properly! My dear, give them the red carpet treatment!"

"Yes Puddin'" she replied.

Suddenly the front doors burst open. Harley stood behind a rolled up red carpet.

"Hey B Man. Here's your red carpet!"

Harley kicked the rolled carpet down the steps.

"Robin, take cover!" Batman yelled. They both leaped away, taking shelter behind a concrete barrier. The rolled up carpet exploded into a huge fireball as it hit the sidewalk.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Victor saw Gar approaching the tower in his pterosaur form. That wasn't all that unusual. But he saw him carrying a limp figure with his talons.

"Raven!" Vic shouted, getting Blackfire's attention. "Blackfire, go out there and meet them, and take Raven to the infirmary!"

"I'm on it!" she shouted as she flew out the common room window. She intercepted Gar and took Raven in her arms. She turned and flew back to the common room, and from there she ran to the infirmary still carrying Raven.

Vic was already in the infirmary, getting Raven's med bed ready. As Blackfire stormed in, Raven had already regained consciousness.

"It's OK, I'm fine. Put me down, Blackfire!" she protested.

"I'll be the judge of that." Vic harrumphed as he attached electrodes to Raven's head and neck. "Blackfire, can you get her into hospital gown?"

"I said I'm OK, dammit! I healed myself on the way back." She pulled the electrodes off and looked around the room. "Where's Gar? Is he OK?"

Gar rushed in just as she asked her question "I'm here.", he panted. "You OK? Blood fried you good!"

"What?!" Cyborg exclaimed "He zapped you with his red lightning? You're lucky to be alive."

Raven then stared at Gar "You didn't kill them, did you?" there was a look of fear in her eyes.

Gar looked away "No, I didn't. I put tracers on them. We can follow them back to their lair now."

Blackfire noticed Raven's look of fear. "Raven, what happened back there?"

"I attacked them with Force lightning." Gar volunteered. "Yeah, I know, I used the dark side."

Vic and Blackfire both turned to him and joined Raven in staring at him with concerned looks on their faces.

"I had to. They were going to kill her."

"Are you OK, B?" Victor asked him.

Gar sat down on one of the beds "No. I'm not."

Raven embraced him, holding the back of his head with her right hand. "I could feel it Gar. It was consuming you, eating you alive. The Dark Side was turning you into a monster. I thought I had lost you." Her lower lip quivered. He returned her embrace. "Gar, I would rather die than have that happen to you."

"Don't worry, I've learned my lesson. I'll never do it again." He whispered back to her.

After a moment he released her from his embrace. "Where are the others?" he asked.

Vic and Blackfire dropped their heads. "We don't know." Victor replied. "We think they were captured."

"No!" Raven moaned.

"I saw Madame Rouge" Blackfire added. "We also know that they have some of the local villains helping them."

"So what do we do?" Vic asked.

"We rescue them." Gar announced "But first we need to recover. We rest four hours, then we strike."

"I should be ready then" Raven said.

"We're all wearing our Republic Armor. You too Blackfire, it's stronger than your Tamaranian armor. Vic, go check on Slade and Blood's location while we rest. Also check in with the Bat Clan. We'll meet at the ops station after we've reasted."

Gar took Raven's hand and they left together for their suite.

Vic turned to Blackfire "You'd better get your rest too."

She stared at him, and then took his hand. "Come." she softly commanded.

"Are you sure about this Blackfire?"

"We won't give in to Blood, I promise you."

Vic blushed "I don't know…"

"Will it be your first time?" she asked. Her voice was as soft as a pillow.

He nodded as his blush intensified.

"Me too." She added.

Vic gulped. "OK, if you insist." He caressed her face tenderly. "But I don't see how this counts as resting."

"Shut up and come with me." She purred back at him.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Slade and Blood slowly regained consciousness, every inch of their bodies ached.

"What happened?" Blood asked "I feel like a train hit me."

"It appears that our friend Beast Boy has learned a new trick. A very good trick." Slade answered as he tried to get up. "We're lucky to be alive."

"You certainly are, traitor! Lucky for you I don't hold grudges!"

"Vixx?" Slade said in astonishment.

"What? You think we were all stupid enough to go down with the ship?".

 _ **-(-)-**_

I hope this didn't suck too much. More Bat clan action next time.


	31. Chapter 31

Raven's breakthrough

"So how do you propose we spring the trap?" Phoenix asked Batgirl.

"They're expecting us to come crashing in. Let's not disappoint them."

"With emphasis on 'crash'?" Phoenix snickered, as she willed a huge round boulder out of the ground and rolled it at the guest house.

"Now to find the Mayor and his family" Batgirl said as the boulder crashed into the house, sending the henchman scurrying out, running for their lives.

"They're running to the stables. Let's get them."

Phoenix pulled a Bat-Bola out of her utility belt and took two henchmen down with it. Batgirl threw several gas pellets into the crowd, knocking out several thugs. In less than a minute the two shapely femme bats had neutralized the herd of toughs.

"Now we see what's in the stable" Phoenix said.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The explosion was phenomenal, taking out the façade of the bank. Batman and Robin had barely sheltered themselves in time. The explosion left a smokescreen that covered the entire block. The Dark Knight and his sidekick went back to their original plan and used grappling hooks to get to the top of the bank.

The scene around the bank was pure mayhem, which provided the duo the cover they needed to penetrate the building. Batman immediately noticed that there were booby traps everywhere. They were expecting them. Instead of taking the stairs down to bank lobby the rappelled down.

The lobby was silent and empty. No sign of the Joker and no hostages.

"Robin, search but be careful with booby traps." He commanded as they separated to search the main level.

After a minute the Dark Knight called out "I found them." He was in the Bank President's office. When Robin entered he saw a gruesome scene. All the hostages had been exposed to the Joker's laughing gas and had died, with gruesome smiles on their faces.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Nightwing had called Oracle to report on their failure. She sounded frazzled. "It doesn't matter Nightwing, there's been thirteen more incidents since you left. Some of the villains are not local: Dr. Light, some blue magician, Monsieur Mallah, and more. I'm recalling everyone to the Bat Cave. We need to regroup."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Raven woke up first. She had cast a small sleeping spell upon herself and Gar that they might get a few hours rest before the rescue, and it had worked. They both fell deeply asleep, almost immediately. Gar's hand was still resting on her hip. She looked at his tranquil face, kissed him on his forehead and snuggled up to him. She could see the alarm clock and realized that they still had an hour to rest. Deciding to savor that hour she drew even closer to him, closed her eyes and felt his breath on her face. She was tempted to wake him, as she suddenly felt the urge to do more than merely snuggle with her man, but she resisted the urge _. Don't be greedy Raven._ _He needs the sleep, and who says I'm not enjoying this?_ The truth was that she was feeling happy, savoring the moment, knowing well that in two hours they would all be pitched in a fierce battle to rescue their comrades. But that would be later.

 _If only I could make this moment last longer._

Raven's eyes popped wide open. _Of course, why didn't I think of that!_

Carefully she got out of bed, put on her robe and glided to her bookcase in their living room, which is where Gar found her an hour later, surrounded by her books.

"So you'd rather read than cuddle with me?" he teased.

"I think I have a solution for Vic" she said with a big smile.

"Really? What is it?"

"You know how I've been trying to find a spell to match Blood's spell?"

"And striking out?"

"Don't remind me. Anyway, I had an idea while snuggling with you. Why not extend the current spell, so it lasts indefinitely?"

"You mean I was your inspiration?" Gar laughed.

"Yeah, you were. I was enjoying the moment so much I wished I could make it last longer."

"I didn't know you felt that way." He teased her.

She tossed a throw pillow at him.

"Laugh it up, but I found a spell. It allows me to extend another spell, and only I can undo it. Blood won't be able to recall his spell."

"Rae, you did it! Let's go tell Vic!"

They dressed hastily and ran to Vic's room, but he wasn't there. They then ran to Blackfire's room, hoping they would be hanging out together. The found the door unlocked. They knocked, but no one answered. Gar cautiously opened the door and saw the scene.

"Oh crap." He whispered as he backtracked out of the room. Raven also saw the interior of Blackfire's room. Clothes were scattered on the floor, leading to the bed, in which Blackfire and Vic were sleeping together in a tight embrace.

Raven shut the door as quietly as she could.

"They need to get up, we have a mission." Gar moaned.

"Then feel free to go in there and wake them, because I sure as Trigon won't." Raven challenged him.

Gar took her arm and led Raven to the common room, and whipped out his communicator.

"Changeling calling Cyborg and Blackfire. Respond please."

Vic answered "Sorry man, I overslept. I'll be right there. I'll call Blackfire for you."

"Thanks, meet us at the ops station. Changeling out."

"That was very diplomatic of you, considering they violated a direct order."

"I can't wait to see their faces when we break the news to them."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Fortunately for the Bat Clan things improved once they regrouped. Still, it took the entire day to respond to all the incidents. By the end of the day Mad Matter, Penguin, Two Face, Clay Face, Rag Doll, Killer Croc, Fire Fly, Mumbo, Control Freak, and many others had been captured. Only The Joker, The Scarecrow, The Brain and Monsieur Mallah remained at large, and the last two had almost been captured by the combined forces of the Bat Clan.

Still the battles had taken their toll on the team, especially on Nightwing who almost kept Mallah from escaping. In the end he was unable to defeat Mallah and had to be rescued by Nightfire to save him from certain death when the brainy gorilla overwhelmed and pummeled him

As the clan regrouped at the end of the day in the Bat Cave, they were addressed by their leader.

"You all performed admirably, but we cannot let our guard down. We should expect more attacks tomorrow."

"Bruce is right." Barbara interjected. "I intercepted a message from The Brain to Slade. He's been ordered to Gotham with his forces. They don't know it, but the Titans are about to attack them. I expect the Titans to be successful, as they will probably catch Slade and Brother Blood off guard. I have requested that the Titans follow Slade and company back to Gotham. Once here we will unite forces with them and defeat the axis of evil."

Phoenix became animated "So BB will be here?"

"That's the plan, Phoenix. Just keep your hormones in check. Oh and don't forget, he isn't available. Remember, I need you to stay focused. If I see any sign of trouble you're staying behind with Barbara, understand?" The Dark Knight replied.

"Yes, Bruce" she meekly replied.

"Good. Now everyone get some rest."

 _ **-( - )-**_

"Dammit! They almost caught us." Vic complained "And I still haven't checked in with the Bat Clan."

Vic dressed while panicking. As he ran to the door, Blackfire caught up with him.

"Vic, I don't want it to be this way." She was about to cry.

"Blackfire, baby, what's wrong?"

"Vic,I don't want to hide. I want everyone to know. I want to marry you."

Vic was stunned. "Wait, isn't that my line?" he said, still stunned.

"You watch too many movies." She laughed weakly.

"You know that next week I'll be 80% artificial again."

"I don't care. We'll find a way. Raven promised to help."

Vic stared at her "OK, why not? You got yourself a fiancé." He said with a huge grin.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Nightfire and Nightwing trudged back to their room. Alfred was there and greeted them.

"I fed Elizabeth and changed her diaper. She should sleep for at least 4 hours." He informed them. "I also drew a bath for both of you. I placed a hamper in the bath room for your costumes, which I will collect in the morning."

As he headed to the door he turned "Call me when you are done with your bath and will bring dinner to your room."

"Thank you Alfred" Nightwing replied. "Alfred, is that a gun in a holster at your side?"

"Yes Master Richard, it is. It is a 'Nubian blaster' I believe, sent to me by Master Garfield at Mrs. Grayson's request. It is quite powerful."

"And Bruce had no complaints about you arming yourself?"

"Under the circumstances, no, he did not. Enjoy your bath." And he was gone.

"Alfred armed with a blaster?" Nightwing shook his head as they entered the bath. The tub was huge, with enough room for the two of them.

Nightwing moaned with pain as he tried to remove his costume top.

"Let me help you." Starfire volunteered. As she removed her husband's costume she gasped. His entire torso was covered in bruises, cuts and burns.

"It's that bad, huh?" he remarked offhandedly.

"Oh Richard! You are harmed!" her voice trembled as she helped him into the tub. She quickly joined him in the bath. "I wish Raven were here to heal you." She began to clean him with a wash cloth. "I will speak with Bruce in the morning. You are in no shape to go on a mission."

He noticed that she only had a few minor bruises.

"No, don't do that. I'll speak with him."

"And end up on a mission!" she snapped at him. "Oh Richard, you have so much inner strength, but you are only human. You are not as resilient as I am."

He knew he could not win this argument. "Let's wait and see if Raven arrives before then and heals me. If she doesn't then I'll excuse myself, OK?"

"OK, but no tricks!" She replied sternly.

"No tricks. I promise."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Vic and Blackfire walked into the common room together, hand in hand. When they looked at Raven and Gar they knew something was up.

"We have news for you." Raven began.

"We also have news." Blackfire added.

"Go ahead" Gar rejoined.

"OK, look, I know this is going to sound a bit rash, but we decided to get married." Vic stammered.

"That's great news!" Raven beamed "And I already have your wedding gift!"

"Really?" Vic and Blackfire answered.

"Oh yes, I found a way to extend Blood's spell indefinitely."

The engaged couple looked stunned. "You aren't joshing me, are you Raven?" Vic asked.

"Would I do that to you, Vic?"

"No, I suppose you wouldn't." he said slowly, before turning to Blackfire, hugging her. They both turned to Raven, with tears in their eyes.

"Thanks Raven, thanks." they said together, looking as if they were about to break down.

"OK, let's not get too mushy, we still have a rescue mission." Gar reminded everyone. "But after we get back I promise that we will have the biggest celebration since our wedding."

"And I'm coming!" Vic intoned.

"But Vic, you have no powers." Raven reminded him.

"So? Neither does Nightwing. I'll wear some of that Jedi plastoid armor and I'll pack a couple of blasters. Oh, I'll wear Blackfire's old thermal blaster too."

"Fine, I can see that there's no stopping you Vic. Go suit up."

"Wait!" Raven interrupted. "Let me set the extension spell first, it will take only a few minutes."

"Go for it." Gar replied "I'll give me a chance to commune with the Force."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Slade and Brother Blood paced in their lair. They had just received the summons from the Brain to travel to Gotham.

"So you say these 3 Jedi are apprentices Slade?" The Brain asked in his vocoder voice.

"They're Dark Jedi apprentices and from what Ventress told me they aren't very good. Beast Boy will no doubt slice them to shreds if they confront him."

"So?"

"We can either take them with us to Gotham, or leave them behind to fight the green Jedi Knight. They could be useful when fighting the Bat Clan."

"You give that caped freak too much credit, Slade." Blood complained.

"I would never underestimate the Dark Knight, Blood, and neither should you."

"And what about the hostages?"

"We use them to slow down the Titans. I'll ask Vixx and his friends to beat them severely. Then we leave them behind. I know for certain that Beast Boy will be leading a rescue."

"How do you know that?"

"I found a tracking device on me. You probably have one too" Slade inspected Blood's cloak and quickly found it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he hissed at Slade.

"You didn't need to know. Now we'll leave these here. They Titans will arrive, find their wounded comrades and rush them to a hospital while we leave for Gotham."

"I hate the idea of retreating like this."

"So do I, but we cannot defeat Beast Boy and Raven by ourselves. They have become far too powerful."

"And what about Cyborg? I had a…"

"Forget it Blood, we need to get ready to leave."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Raven had completed her spell.

"Am I supposed to feel anything Rae?"

"No, you shouldn't. But it's done." She turned to Blackfire "Don't forget our deal." She reminded her.

"Deal?" Vic intoned "What deal?"

"I promised Raven she could be my Matron of Honor if she pulled this off."

"Oh, OK" Vic replied, looking a bit nonplussed.

Gar was still meditating. Suddenly his eyes popped open and he jumped up.

"Slade has 3 Dark Jedi with him, and they're torturing the prisoners, we have to go now!"

"Three?" Raven screamed "Are you crazy? We can't fight them."

"They're apprentices and they're weak in the Force. I can take them. You three will rescue the hostages. You can handle Blood and Slade."

"I hope you're right Gar." Raven replied with a hint of worry in her voice.

 _ **-( - )-**_

"Do not insult us, Slade. We will stay and destroy the green Jedi." Vixx responded angrily as Slade explained his plan to them.

"We need you in Gotham." He replied.

"We do not care about your petty criminal syndicate. Who do you think you are? The Black Sun? We have greater goals than you. And the first one will be to eliminate the changeling Jedi."

"Then I wish you good luck."

"We don't believe in luck." Vixx hissed at him. "Go ahead, run away traitor. We will meet again."

"As you wish." Slade replied. _But I doubt we will, you proud fool._

 _ **-( - )-**_

And another chapter is done.


	32. Chapter 32

– Beware the Dark Side

The Titans arrived at the landfill, searching for the entrance to Slade's lair.

"The last time I was here Mr. Fixit tried to make me 100% artificial." Vic said with a shudder.

"Of course, that's where Slade's lair must be!" Gar exclaimed.

"Duh, why didn't I think of that?" Vic replied "It's over this way. Follow me."

The team jumped down into the lair's entrance, quickly getting their bearings.

"Raven, can you sense the prisoners? " Gar asked.

"Yes, they're over that way. I can sense a great deal of pain from them. But I think they are alone." She replied.

"Ok, the three of you can rescue them. Raven, heal them then get them out of here. Something's strange though, cuz I can't sense Slade or Blood anywhere nearby."

The three nodded and took off in stealth. Raven and Blackfire floated while Blackfire carried Victor. There would be not footfalls to give them away.

Meanwhile Gar let the Force lead him to the Dark Jedi, and he found them in what used to be Fixit's "Operating Room". They all wore vicious grins on their faces.

"So Ahsoka's pet has arrived!" Vixx sneered. "There is still time to run away, rookie. You won't be as lucky as last time."

Gar kept his cool, letting the Force calm and center him. "So who are you supposed to be? Washout boy?" Ahsoka had told him that most Dark Jedi apprentices had flunked out of the Temple due to lack of skill. "Did you even make it to Padawan, or did they show you the door before even that?"

"Laugh all you want, changeling, you will die!" Vixx hollered as he lunged for Gar. Ahsoka was right, he was clumsy and unskilled. Unfortunately he had friends, who also attacked Gar at the same time.

Gar was much quicker than they were and managed to keep them at bay, countering their strikes. He realized that he would soon tire and they would have the upper hand. He would have to defeat them quickly.

The youngest of the three, Zar, took an especially clumsy strike at Gar, who parried it and responded with a swift side kick to Zar's solar plexus, knocking his wind out, then using the Force he pinned him to the ground and held him there. He then turned and placed a Force choke on the other apprentice, Krinn and pushed him against the wall with a Force push, pinning him to the wall. He turned to Vixx.

"So Dark Jedi, still feeling confident?"

Suddenly Gar felt a tingling sensation on his back, and recognized the warning from the Force. He tumbled to his side, just dodging a barrage of blaster fire.

 _Clone Troopers? Where did they come from?_ He wondered as he blocked their follow up shots with his lightsaber. There were over twenty of them and he was struggling to deflect their shots while keeping Zar and Krinn disabled. Suddenly they both broke free.

"We brought some friends." Vixx laughed. "See what mercy buys you Jedi? You should have finished Zar and Krinn when you had the chance."

 _ **-( - )-**_

The Titan trio quickly found the prisoners. They were shackled and badly injured. They were also wearing the same power neutralizing collars that had once weakened Starfire when she was held prisoner on the Palpatine's Hand.

Raven released their shackles with a wave of her hands and some dark energy, and began to heal Kid Flash while Blackfire used her eye beams to slice the collars in half. After she was done with Kid flash she started on Jinx when she heard the blaster fire in the distance.

"Garfield!" she wailed.

"Go to him." Jinx commanded. "Hot spot and I are OK."

Raven flew out of the room towards the sounds. Once she entered the operating room she saw Gar fending off Vixx. His right arm was slumped, and he was wounded by blaster fire. Most of the Clones were already dead as were Zar and Krinn, who were now both headless corpses. She quickly dispatched the remaining clones, once again snapping their necks as she had done before. She felt no remorse this time, as she now understood that they were mindless killing machines and no longer had free will as they did during the Clone War.

Gar was in bad shape but took advantage of Vixx's distraction when Raven entered the room. Summoning what little strength he had left with a good dose of the Force, he skewered Vixx, who was dead before he hit the ground.

Gar moaned and fell to his knees.

"Gar! What happened?" Raven cried.

"I took some blaster fire" he whispered.

Raven ripped his armor and shirt off, and examined the damage. He had lost a lot of blood, but his wounds weren't bad, except for his right arm which had clearly endured a lightsaber strike which had cut deep.

"You're going to be the death of me, Gar." She hissed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She healed his wounds quickly, but he was still weak due to his blood loss.

"How are the others?" he asked as he sat up.

"They still need some healing." She told him as she slung his good arm over her shoulder. "Let's get them and go home."

"Wait." He asked. He reached out and summoned the Dark Jedi's lightsabers to his hands. After catching them he attached them to his belt. "Ok, we can go now. I just didn't want to leave those here for someone to find." He then looked at the fallen clones and sighed."We'll have to clean this up; we can't leave it this way".

"I'll have Titans East take care of this." She replied. "You need to get to the infirmary."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Back in the infirmary Vic followed up with the wounded, who were now doing fine. Gar had received a few units of his own stockpiled blood and looked as good as new. The Titans East arrived and cleaned up the gruesome scene at landfill.

When the others were out of earshot, Raven gave him an order: "Come with me." She led him to their suite.

 _Oh crap, I'm going to get it now_ he worried.

After Raven closed the door, she slugged him in the chest with all her demonic might, knocking him down.

"You idiot!" She screamed at him. He knew better and kept his mouth shut. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you run when the clones showed up? Did you really think you could take them all by yourself?"

"I'm sorry; I was just trying to buy you some time." He replied meekly.

The anger vanished from her face and she offered Gar both of her hands, lifting him up from the ground, after which she seized him in a fierce hug. "Please be more careful, for my sake if not for anything else."

"I promise. I'm sorry."

She kissed him, and then released him from her hug.

"We'd better get ready to go; they're expecting us in Gotham."

 _ **-( - )-**_

It was just before dawn in Gotham when the Titan's shuttle arrived at the Bat Cave. Nightfire, Phoenix and Batgirl where there to greet them. Gar had decided to bring the whole team along. Nightfire greeted them and congratulated the newcomers on their new status as permanent members of the team.

"Nice outfit Star, I mean Nightfire." Gar said with a wink. "You and Nightwing now make quite the crime fighting pair."

"What do you think of my new outfit, huh BB?" Phoenix asked Gar, making sure to show off her curves to him.

"Uh, nice I guess. Isn't that Barbara's old Batgirl outfit?" he asked.

"No it's not silly; Bab's costume would never fit me. I'm way taller than her. Plus it's made of this new material, strong as Kevlar and smooth as silk, here feel it!" She took his hand and placed it on her hip.

He quickly pulled his hand back "I'll take your word for it." He could feel Raven seething behind him.

"Would anyone like some breakfast?" Alfred interrupted as he came down the stairs into the Bat Cave. "I took the liberty of preparing some in anticipation of your arrival."

"Count me in!" Gar hooted while he charged up the stairs. In a flash, all the men were gone.

Raven turned to Phoenix "Terra, we need to talk."

Nightfire grabbed Batgirl's arm "Cassie, Blackfire Jinx and I will join the boys for breakfast."

"No, please stay." Raven replied, before turning back to Phoenix.

"What is it Raven?" Terra whined as she rolled her eyes.

"I have a bone to pick with you."

"Oh please, what is it now?"

Raven looked as if she were about to explode.

"Keep your hands off Gar!" she screamed. "He's mine! Get that that through your thick skull. Will you?!"

"Oooh, afraid he'll dump you for me aren't you?"

"Terra, what's your problem?" Jinx asked "Are you nuts?"

"Is it my fault that I love BB?"

"You never loved him, you bitch!" Raven snarled at her. "You broke his heart twice!"

"And you got to pick up the pieces, didn't you? You think you're so clever Raven, but I can see right through you."

As the others gasped at the unfounded accusation, Raven replied "You have no idea about how much you hurt him, especially the second time you broke his heart. Well, let me enlighten you". Raven cast a spell and conjured a scene from the past:

 _It was the evening after you told him to get out of your life. Gar came back to us and helped us chase the strange creature that was wrecking havoc on Jump City. Gar spotted its weakness and we destroyed it. It turned out to be a prototype SladeBot._

 _After our victory we went out for dinner, but Gar didn't join us, saying he was tired and he went back to the Tower._

 _When we got home later I felt a wave of anguish and sorrow coming from his room and I ran to it._

" _Beast Boy are you OK? May I come in?" I shouted. He didn't answer so I phased into his room._

 _He was kneeling at his bed, bawling. I went to him, knelt beside him and put my arms around him._

" _Beast Boy, what's wrong?" Raven asked._

" _She doesn't love me Raven, she told me to go away." He sobbed. I tightened my hug._

" _It's OK, you're better off without her, believe me."_

" _No I'm not!" he cried "I'm a loser, a total goober. No one loves me!"_

" _That's not true!" I protested._

" _That's not what I mean Rae. I know you guys love me like a brother. I thought she was my girlfriend. I thought she loved me Rae, but she doesn't."_

 _I wiped his tears with a tissue._

" _Who am I kidding Rae. I mean, who could ever love me? I'm a freak."_

" _Beast Boy, you are not a freak."_

" _Oh who are you kidding Rae? I'm short and scrawny. I'm a green nerd. I have fangs and pointy ears. Who could ever possibly love me?" He began to cry again._

" _How about a short girl, with grey skin, purple hair and a bad temper?" She whispered._

" _What?" he sputtered, choking back his tears "Really? You love me Raven?"_

 _I cradled his head in my hands and kissed him. I had never kissed anyone before, not even a peck on the cheek, so I had no idea of what I was doing. After a blissful eternity our lips separated._

" _Rae, does this mean you're my girl?"_

 _I nodded, and then laughed gleefully. "I love you Garfield Logan! I always have."_

 _He hugged me back so tight I thought he was Starfire for a moment "I love you too Rae" and he began to cry again, and this time I joined him._

"Raven !" Nightfire interrupted "This is how you became a couple? It is so beautiful!"

"Thanks Star, but I was trying to illustrate to Miss Rocks for Brains here how much she hurt Gar."

Raven turned to Phoenix "So get it through your thick skull, bimbo, he will never be yours again, because he doesn't want you to hurt him again."

Phoenix got up and stormed out of the Bat Cave in a huff. As she was leaving Raven gave her a final shot.

"Consider this a courtesy call ,Terra. Next time, if you lay even a finger on him I'll break every bone in your body." Raven howled at the retreating blonde.

Nightfire, Batgirl, Jinx and Blackfire stared at Raven dumbfounded.

"Sorry about that." she apologized with a slight blush.

"For what?" Jinx replied. "That was great! It's about time she was put in her place!"

Raven sighed, deciding to change the subject. "So, what do I have to do to get a cool Bat outfit of my own?" she joked.

"Funny that you should ask." Batgirl replied as she pulled out a box and handed it to Raven. "Try it on"

 _ **-( - )-**_

The guys were in the dining room, scarfing Alfred's gourmet breakfast as fast as he could replenish it. He had served it buffet style, much to their delight.

"Please Gentlemen, save some for the ladies".

Nightwing had come down to join them. "Where's Raven? I need her to heal me."

"Down in the Bat Cave with the girls. Gar replied between mouthfuls of food. "oh wait, here they are!"

Gar dropped his fork at the sight that greeted him. Wearing a costume similar to Batgirl's, but with violet gloves, belt and boots and wearing a violet mask was Raven.

"Well Gar, what do you think!" she asked him.

Gar stood dumbfounded, staring at his wife's shapely figure.

"That is so totally hot." Gar replied in a hush, stunned voice.

"And functional too." Bruce chimed in. No one had notice him enter the room. "I ordered bat suits for all of you. They will protect you far better than your Titan outfits." Bruce smiled before continuing. "Also, I want to tell you that the Titans are now officially members of the Bat Clan."

"Dude, you mean there's a bat suit for me too? That is so cool!" Gar was ecstatic. "Where is it? I want to try it on."

Raven smiled and rolled her eyes. _Gar, you're such a kid. Please don't change._

Bruce resumed talking "We haven't had any intel on the enemy, but Oracle is still trying to find something. Meanwhile we will train. We'll meet 1 hour after breakfast. Cassie, I want you and Gar to give us a sparring demonstration, both with and without weapons."

He turned to Nightwing "After Raven heals you, find Terra and tell her to come see me. I saw her in the hallway and she didn't look OK."

"I can explain Bruce." Raven began.

"You read her the riot act? Good, it's about time. Now let me see what Alfred made for breakfast today."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Another day, another chapter.


	33. Chapter 33

\- Sparring

The newly extended Bat Clan was gathered in the Manor's gym. Garfield was already wearing his new bat outfit. It was similar to Nightwing's costume, except for the green gloves, boots, and belt. It also had a full length cape, which Gar was debating on whether to lose or keep. Gar decided to wear a black mask, similar to Robin's mask. Vic teased him about the mask, telling him that it didn't hide his green faced identity one bit. Gar told Vic to shut up. 'It makes me look cool' was his justification for the mask. Gar was also pleased to notice Raven checking him out. The suit did highlight his now adult physique. He also noticed that Jinx, Blackfire, Batgirl and even Star were giving him approving glances.

Curiously though, Terra never looked his way.

"So Rae, like what you see?" He teased her.

She laughed and replied "Gar, I've seen you in your birthday suit plenty of times. Why should this be any better?"

He grinned back "So why were you staring?"

"Because you look so hot!" Jinx said in a phony dreamy voice.

"What she said." Raven replied with a smirk.

Blackfire joined in the conversation "So Ravie, it looks like your little heart to heart with Dirt Girl worked."

"What's she talking about?" Gar asked

"Nothing, I just told Terra to stay away from you." Raven replied.

"Under penalty of death!" chortled Jinx.

"What?" Gar sounded aghast.

"Oh, Jinx is exaggerating BB. Ravie dear only threatened to break every bone in her shapely body!" Blackfire laughed.

By this point Raven was blushing profusely. "I only said that in the heat of the moment. You know I would never hurt her."

"You sounded pretty pissed. Heck, now I'm afraid to flirt with Gar." Cassie joked. She first met Gar about 3 months after he and Raven began dating in secret during a Bat Clan visit to Titans Tower. She had been smitten with him from the get go and flirted shamelessly with him. Gar was super polite but turned down all her advances, much to her chagrin and to Cyborg's and Robin's amazement. Cy couldn't believe that Gar was turning down a chance to date such a 'hot girl'.

"Good!" Raven replied, clearly in jest. "You should be!" All the girls broke out in laughter which was interrupted by the arrival of the Caped Crusader.

"Today we are going to train without using any powers we might have. I know that you Titans will not be happy about this, but I've seen you fight. To be honest, except for the Tamaranians, your basic skills are poor. I'm surprised that Dick didn't train you better. So I'm having you pair up with someone who will help you develop your skills. Your mentor will train you for the next 3 hours. We will break for lunch, followed by a sparring round with your mentor."

Batman pulled out a list and read from it.

"Cassie, you're with Garfield. Robin, you take Raven. Nightwing with Cyborg. Terra with Jinx. Nightfire you take Hotspot. Blackfire you take Kid Flash. Now remember, no powers allowed. Garfield, for you that means no morphing and no using the Force. I will supervise. Lets' spend the first hour with basics: stances, blocks and strikes. Begin!"

Gar turned to Cassie. "Great, I'm going to get my butt kicked." He muttered.

"Afraid of a girl, Garfield?" she teased him.

"Only cuz I'll have both my arms tied behind my back!" he retorted.

Cassie and the rest of the mentors spent the morning drilling their apprentices on the basics, who to their credit rose to the occasion. Even Raven who had neglected her martial arts training the most over her years with the Titans picked up the pace. Slade had done a great job training Terra, whose skills were clearly up to par with Batman's expectations, but she was having trouble training Jinx.

"This is pointless!" Jinx complained "I'm not athletic. It doesn't come naturally to me!"

"All the more reason to train!" Terra reminded her "If you're going to be part of the clan you have to combat ready!"

"You're really taking this Bat Clan business seriously, aren't you?" Jinx answered.

Terra didn't respond right away. "Yes, I am. For the first time in my life I have meaning and direction."

"And what about Gar? Didn't he give you meaning and direction?"

"He did." Terra nodded. "But Raven was right this morning. That door has closed and I need to move on."

"So Raven scared you, huh?"

Terra snorted. "I've beaten her before and I could do it again. But she's right; she won BB fair and square."

"And you're OK with that?" Jinx asked with a hint of skepticism.

"Not really, but what choice do I have? He loves her and not me. But you know what really hurts? Raven was just as messed up as I was, but he forgave her all the crap she did to him. For years she insulted him, slapped him, and humiliated him. I got so see this first hand. Except during my two moments of weakness when I broke his heart I worshipped him. Yet he chose her."

"You broke his heart twice." Jinx replied. "Most guys would be sticking pins into little Terra voodoo dolls after that. You're lucky he's still your friend, but he'll never be your lover, you blew that for good. It's true that Raven was messed up too, but she held off from him until she got her life in order. He knows that she'll never betray him, and after what you did that means a lot to him, enough for him to overlook Raven's many other flaws."

Terra nodded, then changing the subject she continued.

"Jinx, I'm afraid of being rejected again. I really want to succeed with the Bat Clan"

"Then don't screw up. You had it made with the Titans until you ran away with Slade. Just hang in there. Bruce believes in you, but don't be so thin skinned. Accept his criticism, and you'll grow. But I'm only going to tell you this once: don't piss off Raven. Bruce is annoyed with your flirting with Gar, so knock it off, you understand? You're not the only one here suffering from unrequited love. Babs had a thing with Dick before he left the clan. Yet she knows better than to flirt with him."

Terra stared off into the distance, and sighed. Jinx walked away, but stopped for a moment.

"Oh, and whatever you do, Terra, don't run away with Slade again."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Slade and Blood made themselves at home in the Joker's lair, or at least as comfortable as one could get in the lair of a madman who keeps hyenas as pets and whose moll is a homicidal harlequin. It didn't help that the place looked like a cross between a joke shop and circus big top. At least there was plenty of room for what was left of the SladeBots and Brother Blood's CyBots. The Joker managed to cajole the remaining Gotham villains into joining the effort to wipe out the Bat Clan. This included Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Cat Woman, Bane, Scarface, Lady Shiva and even a few psychotics like Mr. Zsasz. And of course Dr. Crane was still with the Axis.

The Brain and Mallah had their cabal to offer the Axis, including Madame Rouge who had been on loan to Slade, as well as General Immortus, Gemini, Warp, Phobia, and Plasmus, the last of which he picked up in Jump City.

At this time everyone was present. The Joker paced back and forth before addressing the assembly.

"My fellow colleagues in mayhem, destruction and let's be honest here, in just having plain old fun, I greet you and welcome you to my lair. Today we are under new management, and we won't repeat the mistakes of a few days ago."

"Who put you in charge, clown?" Madame Rouge interrupted. "Why should we listen to you?"

"Listen here toots; no one talks like that to Mistah J!" Harley roared at Rouge "How many of you Brotherhood shmucks have ever captured the B Man? None of you! That's how many. SO SHUT UP AND LISTEN!"

"Thank you ,Harley. Now friends, we have to change tactics! Being logical with Batsy will get us nowhere. We need mayhem and madness! The more the better!" He finished the sentence with his maniacal laugh.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the Joker's right." Slade interrupted. "Logic won't serve us to defeat him. I have tried that approach with Batman, and I failed."

"Thanks Slady, but next time raise your hand before interrupting me. Or better yet, don't interrupt."

This time it was Mallah who interrupted the Joker. "But what about the Titans? Rumor has it they left Jump City to join Batman's Team."

"The more the merrier!" The Joker laughed. "They're all lightweights anyway! Who cares?" he laughed even louder.

Rouge turned to Mallah and whispered "Is he really the criminal genius everyone says he is?"

"It is hard to believe, but yes, he has no equal". Mallah replied bitterly.

"What have gotten ourselves into?" Rouge moaned.

"Patience Madame Rouge, Monsieur Mallah. It will be worth it." The Brain spoke in his synthetic voice. "We will destroy the Titans once and for all. The Joker can have Gotham, we will take the world."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Lunch was a disappointing affair for the Titans. Alfred served a vegetarian meal, insisting that anything heavier would "adversely affect their sparring efforts". He did console them with the promise of something more satisfying for dinner.

As they headed back to the gym, Gar and Raven walked back together.

"I'm not looking forward to this, Raven. Cassie is going to hand my head to me on a platter."

"I'm sure she'll go easy on you."

"Do you think Tim will go easy on you? No? I doubt Cassie will give me a break either."

As they assembled in the gym they all sat down on the bleachers that Alfred had set up during the lunch break. Gar remembered Bruce's comment that he and Cassie would give a demonstration first, and got up from his seat next to Raven.

"Wish me luck." He said half heartedly.

Bruce addressed the clan.

"Garfield and Cassie are going to give us a demonstration. First they will spar one 3 minute round without Gar using any of his powers. Then in the second round Gar will be allowed to use his powers. This will demonstrate the reason to develop your fighting skills. There will be times you cannot use your powers."

He turned to Gar and Cassie and made a vertical motion with his arm. "Fight!"

Gar went into fighting stance, waiting for Cassie to make the first move. She feigned a left roundhouse kick and switched into a jumping spin heel kick, and did it so quickly that Gar was barely able to block it, after which she delivered a spinning back kick straight towards Gar's plexus, which she missed and hit his ribs instead. Gar crumpled from the pain and fell onto one knee. He instinctively summoned the Force to dull the pain, realizing that she had cracked at least one of his ribs. Raven leaped to her feet, but felt Bruce's hand on her shoulder pulling her back down. She gave him a death glare, but complied and sat down.

Gar was back on his feet. _What_ _the hell is wrong with her? She's trying to kill me._

Cassie resumed her blitzkrieg and Gar did all he could to stay out of her way. Finally towards the end of the 3 minute round he managed to kick her legs out from under her, but she was back on her feet in less than a second. Then just as the buzzer sounded she connected her fist with Gar's face, leaving it a bloody mess. As soon as she heard the buzzer Raven was on her feet, but as Gar looked up he saw Batman pulling her back to her seat, yelling at her.

 _Now the gloves come off._ Gar thought to himself. He had promised himself to go easy on Cassie when allowed to use his powers, but that deal with himself was off. He looked up at the clock and saw that the one minute break between the two rounds had just begun. He summoned the Force to himself, first focusing on his injuries. He felt his ribs heal and then heard someone call his name. He reached out and caught the damp towel that had been tossed at him and wiped his face. He was surprised at the amount of blood he wiped away and once again summoned the Force to heal his face wounds, or at least stop the bleeding.

After a final wipe he threw the towel away and looked at the clock again. Still 15 seconds. He knelt and communed with the Force until he heard the buzzer and heard Batman command "Fight!" He shot up from his kneeling position and somersaulted twice in the air, kicking Cassie in the face, sending her flying. To his surprise Cassie leaped to her feat immediately, her face bloody and lunged at him. She was fast, very fast, her technique was perfect and it was clear she was using even more power than in the first round. A few of her strikes came very close, and Raven winced each time. Using his Force super speed he dodged all of Cassie's strikes before hitting her with a Force enhanced back fist strike, again sending her sprawling. Her face was a mess, with blood dripping over her costume's chest area, and it took her a little longer to get up. She panted angrily. It was clear she wasn't used to losing, not like this. Garfield was barely sweating. Again she lunged at him. This time, to her surprise, he morphed into an elephant before swatting her away with his trunk. The impact was so hard that she wondered if he also used the Force to hit her as her left side, where he hit her, felt as if it was on fire. She cursed herself for forgetting about his shape shifting abilities. He morphed back into his human form and crossed his arms/

"Have you had enough?" he asked in a deadpan worthy of his wife.

"No!" she replied, while she rose to her feet. She adopted yet another fighting stance as she panted.

Gar realized that he might have to permanently damage Cassie to stop her, she almost seemed possessed. He looked up and saw Raven in the bleachers. She was yelling "Gar, don't hurt her!"

Gar turned back to Cassie who had begun yet another attack. He knew what he had to do. As Cassie jumped to deliver a flying round house kick Gar repelled her with a Force push, then seized her with Force choke, holding her with it until she blacked out. Batman pronounced the round as over. Gar then turned and motioned to Raven, who was already on her way to assist Cassie.

By the time Raven reached her, Cassie regained consciousness, and angrily rejected Raven's help, violently swatting her healing hands away.

"What the hell is your problem?" Gar snarled. "She was only trying to help."

"I don't need your pity, Garfield." Cassie screeched back. "And I don't need your mercy!"

"What? So you would have preferred I beat you to a pulp?"

"Yes, I would have!"

"Maybe I didn't want to hurt you? Didn't that occur to you? You're a teammate, not an enemy."

"You don't deserve your powers. You are weak!" The Raven haired Batgirl hissed.

Gar stared at her aghast. He had heard the stories about how she was raised and now he saw that they were true. Cassie had been raised as a 'win at any cost killing machine' and it made his blood run cold to think about it. In spite of all of Batman's help and training he realized that Cassie was still a borderline psychotic. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw it was Raven, who placed her hands on his face and began to heal it.

After she was done with his face she checked his ribs and finished the healing that he had started. Once she was done she hugged him.

"Well done. I'm proud of you."

He hugged her back. "Thanks, now watch out for Robin." He chuckled.

As they turned they saw Bruce having a heated discussion with Cassie. They then walked out of the ring Raven's arm around his waist and his arm around her shoulder.

The rest of the matches were less interesting. They were all "no powers only" and as expected the mentors won easily, but without any bloody faces or cracked ribs.

Alfred lived up to his dinner promise, serving the extended clan a memorable supper. Vic swore that it was the best Prime Rib he ever had, while Gar gave him kudos for his Tofu Marsala, which Raven also ate in solidarity with him and admitted that it was very good.

Cassie did not attend the meal, which did not go unnoticed by Gar.

After the meal was over, Bruce addressed his extended team.

"I congratulate you all for your fine performances. Titans, you are all quick studies and you did fine. Raven, thanks for healing everyone's injuries. Garfield, thank you for demonstrating to us what self restraint and good sportsmanship are about even though your opponent did not reciprocate."

"Today's exercise demonstrated two points that we should all remember. First of all there is no substitute for good conditioning and good fighting technique. Regardless of any other skills you might have, good technique will get you out of trouble some day. Secondly, never underestimate an opponent with powers, as Cassie did with Garfield."

"Actually, The Force isn't a power, at least not like my shapeshifting. And what I mean is that it isn't really mine. I can tap into it, but it's more of an ally. "

Bruce nodded his understanding.

Gar turned to his wife. "Maybe I should go see Cassie after dinner. Just to make sure there are no hard feelings." Gar whispered to Raven.

"I'll come with you. But if you ask me, she owes you an apology."

"Maybe, but I don't expect her to offer one."

 _ **-(-)-**_

There was a knock on Cassie's door. _Who could it be now? Who else is going to scold me for not holding back with Gar?_

"Come in." she sulked. _Terra?_

"Hi Cassie. How are you doing?"

"I've been better."

Terra examined Cassie's face. "BB sure can pack a wallop these days." She remarked offhandedly.

"Bruce is really pissed with me now. He said that I was excessively vicious in the first round and that I could have seriously injured Gar. And to add insult to injury Gar was merciful with me and knocked me out with a choke hold in the second round. Then I was a complete jerk with Raven when she offered to heal me."

"So what happened?" Terra asked.

"I don't know. I lost control, as if I was only a spectator watching my body do something I didn't want it to do. You know what I mean?"

"More than you could imagine."

"Is that why you ran away from the Titans?" Cassie asked.

"In part. The truth is that I never felt that I fit in with them, no matter how hard I tried." Terra confessed. "Slade gave me unconditional acceptance, and I pledged my loyalty to him not just once, but twice."

"Is it true that you were married to him?"

"Yes, yes it's true. And you want to know why? Because he didn't judge me. He did get angry with me, even to the point of beating me, but in the end he accepted me for whom I was and didn't try to change me."

Cassie hung her head and sighed. "You know, for years I have tried to do everything that Bruce has asked me, and yet I never feel that I am good enough. All he does is criticize me. And I've had it Terra, I've really had it. I can't take it anymore."

"I know what you mean. Now for me it's the pain of having lost BB for good, and to Raven of all people."

"That has to hurt. When I first met him I asked him out more than once, only to be rejected repeatedly. It turns out he was dating Raven in secret at the time. Is she really a witch?"

"No, its worse. She's a demoness. Well, a half demoness."

Cassie gasped. "And he married her?"

"Yup, makes ya feel real good to learn that you lost out to a monster, doesn't it?"

"I hate it here." Cassie said bitterly.

"I really want to succeed here, but I don't feel that I can be myself." Terra added.

"Join the club. Here it's Bruce's way or the highway."

"Maybe we should consider the highway." Terra suggested.

Cassie nodded in agreement.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Those of you with really good memory will notice that I expanded BB and Cassie's sparring scene.


	34. Chapter 34

\- Runaways

It was 8 AM and Victor wasn't a happy camper. Yesterday's sparring match with Nightwing had been a disaster, a painful reminder that he was no longer a super hero. To make matters worse Batman summoned him with no warning that morning to the Bat Cave for a private meeting. To sum it up, Batman told him that with additional training he could become a combat ready member of the clan. The Dark Knight reassured him that he had the necessary talent, but that it would take some time for him to reach a level of competence needed to go on a mission. For now, however, he was assigned to help Barbara with her duties as Oracle.

Needless to say, Vic was less than pleased with the outcome of the meeting. He had a great deal of respect for Barbara, she was after all the original Batgirl, but now he couldn't help but feel that like her he was 'damaged goods'. He knew that neither the Titans nor the Bat Clan would toss him out, but he couldn't help but feel like a failure. If this is what being 'normal' again meant, then maybe the old adage was true: 'be careful of what you wish for, you might just get your wish'. He thought about Blackfire. What would she think of him now? He imagined a scene. He was at a party with super heroes and Blackfire would introduce her husband, 'the tech nerd', to her colleagues. Vic shook the image out of his mind.

He was trudging down the hallway on his way to the dining room for some breakfast when he ran into the Graysons, who were on their way to the same place. Kori was wearing one of her trademark joyful grins as she ran up to Victor and hugged him. Dick was carrying Lizzie, and he too was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Victor! Victor!" She shouted with glee. "Blackfire has just shared with me your most glorious news." She smothered him with kisses before continuing. "You are now my brother Victor, and I am so happy!"

"What?" Vic replied, clearly confused."We just got engaged. How can I be your bro-in-law?"

"Don't be silly Vic! You are betrothed and have consummated your love with each other. Under the traditions of my people that is equivalent to what you call 'eloping'. The wedding is but a formality!"

Vic couldn't believe what he was hearing. "B-b-blackfire didn't say anything about that!" he stammered.

"Oh, you know my sister; she has never been big on tradition."

The four of them continued together to the dining room. The only other ones there were Raven and Gar, who looked like they were finishing up with their meal. Or at least Raven did. Gar was preparing to help himself to more hash browns, tofu eggs, tofu bacon and another glass of OJ.

"Gar, isn't that your third helping?" Raven chided him.

"So?" he replied. "What's the problem?"

Raven turned to Starfire, who was now standing behind Gar in the breakfast buffet line.

"Kori, would you mind refreshing Gar's memory on how he looked when you traveled into the future?"

Star looked a little unsure as Gar turned to look at her with a " _don't you dare"_ look on his face. She had also just noticed that Gar's thinning spot was quickly becoming a bald spot as she hovered above him.

"Well, he was balding…"

"And?" Raven inquired.

Star sighed "….and he was very fat."

"Thank you Kori." She then addressed Gar "Need I say more?"

Admitting defeat, Gar dropped his plate into the busing cart Alfred had left in the room and sat back down, looking very unhappy.

"Look, there's nothing we can do about your hair, but over this we have some control." She reassured him as she took his hand and squeezed it.

Gar laughed half heartedly. "I was thinking about shaving my head, you know, that way everyone will get used to me being bald."

"Not on your life buster!" she said as she ran her fingers through his almost shoulder length hair. "Not until you really are bald. Until then those green locks are mine."

"Yes, master." He replied with a wink.

"Good, I'm glad you understand that." She replied with a laugh, and then changed the subject. "Why don't we go have that chat with Terra?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." He said as they walked out of the dining room, their arms joined together.

" _Yes master!_ I'm telling you, she has him whipped!" Vic laughed. He then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I was hoping you would call me that as well." Blackfire said coyly.

Vic quickly recovered from his surprise. "Good Morning Mrs. Stone. Care to join your husband for some breakfast?" he teased her.

She looked at Starfire _So she spilled the beans_ , then back at Vic. "Sure, why not?"

"Oh man. I gotta call my Dad and tell him. He'll be so pissed there wasn't a wedding."

"Relax, hubby, we can still have a wedding when this adventure is over if that will make your old man happy."

"Him, my grandma, my aunt Sylvia, my uncle James, my…"

"It's OK Vic, I get it." She floated into his lap and silenced him with a kiss. "I'll ask Alfred if he can move us to a better room." She purred as she caressed one of his ears.

 _ **-( - )-**_

After a short hike through the manor Raven and Gar reached Terra's room.

"How does Alfred keep this place so clean by himself? It's huge." Raven remarked.

"He must have elves or something." Gar replied as he knocked on Terra's door, which opened as it had been left slightly ajar.

"Terra, are you there?" Gar asked "I want to talk with you."

As they entered the room it was clear that Terra had not slept in her bed last night. Knowing that she was Cassie's friend they ran to her room down the hall to see if she knew where Terra might be. It too had not been slept in.

"We'd better tell Bruce." Raven said in an alarmed voice.

 _ **-( - )-**_

One of the advantages of living in Wayne Manor was that Alfred had just about anything one could ever need, and that included camping gear. Cassie and Terra changed from their Bat outfits into jeans and T shirts. Cassie then led Terra to the storage 'room', which was more like a warehouse. There they found everything they needed: tents, sleeping bags, back packs, hiking boots, socks, mess kits, pre-packed freeze dried camping food, camping clothing, the works.

Terra suggested they hit the great outdoors as it would give them time to think about their next move. Terra was an expert at not leaving tracks that could be followed. Once they had all their gear together they quietly left the Manor and walked to a nearby vacant field. Terra summoned a large boulder from the ground, making sure to cover the hole it left behind with dirt. The two women jumped on the boulder and it flew away until they reached Gotham National Forest.

After floating around for half an hour they found a nice secluded area and pitched camp there, carefully camouflaging it so it wouldn't be visible from the air. It was now 1:00AM and they decided to call it a night.

"Are you sure Bruce won't find us here?" Cassie asked.

"If we stay here long enough he will, but we will move on tomorrow." Terra replied as she crawled into her pup tent. "Get some sleep; we need to be up by dawn."

 _ **-( - )-**_

"Bruce, Bruce!" Raven shouted as she flew down the stairs into the Bat Cave, with Gar close behind her.

Batman looked up from his computer console with Oracle at his side who was also looking in the direction of the arriving Titans.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Its Terra and Cassie, they're gone! They didn't sleep in their beds last night."

"Great." He muttered in his low voice as he rose from the console.

He turned to Oracle. "Barbara, check the security camera recordings. Let me know what you find. Have Alfred check the garage and the storage room, I want to know if anything is missing. I'm going to their rooms." With that he stormed out of the Bat Cave.

"Why aren't the two of you in uniform?" he asked the Titans. Raven was wearing her white leotard and cape while Gar was wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

Gar thought quickly and replied "Uh, we didn't want to get them dirty with breakfast."

"Just get changed ASAP and tell the others as well."

Gar and Raven entered their room as Batman continued on to Terra's room. They quickly changed and hurried to Terra's room, arriving as Batman emerged.

"Terra was never in her room last night." Batman informed them before bolting for Cassie's room. They chased after him, following him to Batgirl's room. He entered and quickly assessed the room.

"They were both here. And for a while too. They both sat on Cassie's bed, and tried to smooth out the impressions they made on the bed spread before they left."

Gar and Raven looked very hard and saw nothing. The Detective had a sharp eye.

"Rave, can you feel any residual emotions in the room?" Gar asked her.

'They're very faint, but I can tell that both were upset. What can you see through the Force?"

Gar sat on the floor and communed with the Force for a few minutes. After he was done he opened his eyes and said "They ran away." in a surprised voice.

"That was my conclusion as well." Batman replied.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Terra and Cassie broke camp by 5:30 and were on their way over a ridge. Terra was checking a map and found a network of caves on the other side of the Gotham Gorge near Roosevelt Dam, which was only 5 miles upstream. After a quick flight on Terra's boulder they were able to see the dam. Terra pulled a pair of binoculars out of her back pack and surveyed the area. What she saw made her heart skip a beat.

"Slade!" she hissed.

"You're kidding!" Cassie replied. "What's he doing out here?"

Terra continued to survey the area. She saw several SladeBots hidden in the adjacent forest. After further searching she also caught a glimpse of the Joker and Harley.

"This looks bad, Cassie, I also saw the Joker and Harley. I don't think they're just hiding out here, they're up to something."

"They are certainly up to no good." An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind them. They tried to run, but were paralyzed by a powerful jolt.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The entire Bat Clan, minus Cassie and Terra, were in the Bat Cave, this time in their bat attire. Raven and Gar had their lightsabers hanging from their belts. Alfred was reporting on his findings.

"Master Bruce, it appears that enough camping gear for an extended stay in the wilderness is missing from storage I'm afraid."

"And the Garage?"

"All vehicles are accounted for."

Batman pondered Alfred's findings for moment. "They can't be too far from here. If I wanted to disappear I would head for Gotham National Forest. It's 100 square miles of thick forest and wilderness."

"Terra's no stranger to sleeping under the stars." Gar shared.

Batman brought up a map of the Gotham Forest and began assigning portions of it to each team member. Just as he was done, an incoming call came through the Justice League Channel. Batman opened the channel and The Green Arrow appeared.

"Hey Bats, an old friend of Beast Boy says he found something that belongs to you."

The screen switched views and Gar saw his old mentor from his Doom Patrol days, Mento. Standing next to him were Terra and Cassie. Mento addressed Batman.

"Batman, I'm Mento from the Doom Patrol. We were keeping an eye on Slade and the Joker out here in Gotham National Forest when we bumped into these two young ladies, who insist they work for you."

"Greetings Mento. So they claim to work for me?" Batman replied with a smirk.

"Don't laugh, Batman! It's not funny. The Joker and Slade are up to something with the Roosevelt Dam." Cassie pleaded.

Batman turned to the Tamaranians. "Nightfire and Blackfire please go and bring back our two runaways." He handed Nightfire the coordinates and the two alien princesses left immediately.

He turned back to the screen. "Mento, we need to talk. It appears that we are working on the same case."

"We are. We have tracked the Brotherhood of Evil to Gotham. It makes sense for us to work together. Where shall we meet?"

"I have a backup base under Arkham asylum. It shouldn't be too far from where you are. The entrance is south of Arkham, off highway 128. Look for the vandalized deer crossing sign. Can you be there in 1 hour?"

"We'll be there." Mento replied, and then turned towards Gar. "It's good to see you again Garfield. Sorry we missed the wedding, but you know how it is, duty first!"

"Oh we understand." Raven replied dryly, her arms crossed, remembering how disappointed and hurt Gar was when Steve and Rita were no shows at their wedding. "Weddings are everyday events for us, you know."

"It's nice to see you again, Raven." He paused. "Look, we're really sorry, OK? Believe me that we were just as disappointed in missing your wedding."

"It's no biggie; you're only Gar's adoptive parents after all." Her body language indicated just how annoyed she really was with them.

Batman interrupted. "OK, see you in an hour." And he severed the connection.

"Nightwing, Robin, Gar and Raven, you're coming with me. The rest of you, stay sharp."

"You want me to come?" Raven asked in an incredulous tone.

"Yes, you and Garfield need to reconcile with Mento, since we will be teaming up with the Doom Patrol."

"Bruce" Raven replied "You need to know that Mento is not a team player. He's a zealot who will sacrifice the lives of his team to achieve a goal. I'm not comfortable working with him."

Batman turned to the other Titans, who agreed with Raven by nodding.

"Garfield, do you agree with them?" Batman asked.

Gar sighed before responding. "The Doom Patrol is a second family to me, but I agree with the others. Steve has become a fanatic."

"Unfortunately we need their help. But I'll keep your warnings in mind."

"Just don't expect him to save anyone's hide." Raven warned. "Regardless of how easy it might be."

 _ **-( - )-**_

The Princesses arrived at the rendezvous point in the forest in a matter of minutes, where they met Mento and the two runaways.

"OK, they're all yours." Mento said as he bade them farewell and headed off to Arkham.

"Terra, Cassie, would you mind explaining yourselves?" Nightfire asked them very crossly.

"I don't have to explain anything to you." Terra snarled.

"Why the hell did you run away?" Blackfire asked angrily. "You had everyone worried to death."

"Because we don't fit in." Terra replied "You wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't understand? Look at my hands! They're artificial, and you know why? Gar whacked off my real hands with his lightsaber to stop me from killing Raven." She hissed.

Blackfire regained her composure before continuing. "If I can fit in, you can fit in."

"Cassie." This time it was Nightfire "What happened yesterday? You were trying to harm Garfield during sparring.

Cassie hung her head before speaking. "I don't know. I was angry with Gar and I lost control."

"Angry? About what?" Nightfire asked incredulously.

Still staring at the ground she fessed up. "I was jealous."

"Jealous!?" Blackfire face palmed. "What is it about the green elf that brings out the worst in women?"

"I was jealous of his powers and …"

"Oh, please don't say it." Blackfire warned.

"Seeing him and Raven together as a couple made me angry and jealous."

"So the logical solution was to beat the stuffing out of him? Not the best way to win a man's heart." Nightfire chided her.

"I lost control." Cassie was in tears. "I can't believe I tried to hurt him."

"Lucky for you Gar has far more self restraint, otherwise you'd be in the infirmary." Blackfire concluded.

Nightfire was shaking her head in disbelief. "Let's go home." She commanded.

Terra and Cassie reluctantly hopped onto the floating boulder and followed the Tamaranians back to the BatCave.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Ok, so what is the Axis of Evil up to? We're getting closer now.

What will happen next? Will Raven buy Gar a case of Rogaine and a membership with weight watchers?

Stay tuned.


	35. Chapter 35

– Swept away

The Doom Patrol arrived at the Arkham Bat Cave. Gar had been the lookout and he led them into the cave once they arrived. He introduced them to Batman, Nightwing and Robin, who at this point had chosen to keep their identities secret from Mento and his team.

"Mento." Batman started "Before we begin our cooperation discussions I think there is some unresolved business between the Doom Patrol and the Logans that needs closure. We will give you some privacy." He then turned and along with Nightwing and Robin retreated to the far end of the cave.

Mento stared at the couple, who returned the silent stare. Finally Negative Man spoke up.

"Steve, if you won't tell them the truth, I will."

"Larry, please don't." Rita implored.

Gar gave Mento a dirty look. Mento then tried to use his mental powers to mollify Gar but ran into an impervious barrier, which made him shudder.

"So that's the Force? I'm impressed, Garfield."

Gar stared blankly at him. "The truth?"

Mento hesitated, but Rita finally couldn't stand it any longer and blurted out.

"Garfield, I'm so sorry, but the real reason we didn't come was because…." She paused, unable to finish the sentence.

"Because I didn't approve of Raven." Mento muttered, with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Garfield, don't be angry. We didn't know her that well back then. We thought you were making a mistake." Rita apologized.

"I now know that I was wrong." Mento admitted. "You couldn't have made a better choice."

Gar was elated. _Mento admitted he was wrong! He never does that!_

Raven turned to face Rita, who in turn hugged her. "Please Raven, forgive us our stupidity. We now know that you are the best thing that ever happened to Garfield."

Raven returned her hug. "Thanks, you have no idea what that means to us."

Batman watched from a distance as the reconciliation was completed.

"Are you ever wrong about anything?" Nightwing asked Batman.

"Only once. There was a time I thought I was wrong, but it turns out I was right after all. But then I realized I was wrong when I thought I was wrong."

"Ha ha. Very funny. Not!" Robin moaned.

 _ **-( - )-**_

After discussing strategy with the Doom Patrol it was decided that the Bat clan would focus on the Gotham villains and the Doom Patrol would deal with the Brain, Mallah and Rouge. The first order of business was to get back to the dam and apprehend The Joker and Slade. The Doom Patrol was working on locating the villain's lair, and Batman provided them with a list of possible locations. Batman also gave Mento a Bat communicator while Mento gave Gar a Doom Patrol communicator. As soon as the Doom Patrol left the 5 Bat Clan members headed out to Roosevelt Dam.

From a safe distance they scoped out the dam. Robin was the first to find any sign of activity.

"Look, SladeBots in the overflow tunnel!"

"Rae and I can take care of those. You guys find the Joker and Slade!" Gar said as he and Raven flew off to the overflow tunnel. Batman, Robin and Nightwing continued to scan the site for any sign of the The Joker or Slade.

Raven and Gar entered the tunnel and were immediately attacked by a squad of blaster equipped SladeBots. Raven flew into the air, dodging the blaster fire while hurling boulders at the robots. Meanwhile Gar was taking the Sladebots out with his lightsaber as they retreated further into the tunnel.

"Gar, don't you think this is too easy?" Raven called from above as she demolished the last SladeBot at the end of the tunnel.

Suddenly a maniacal laugh rang out in the tunnel. "Joker!" Gar shouted out.

"I was hoping for Batsy and the Boy Blunder, but you will do just fine, Beast Boob!" the Joker laughed. "Ah, this must be the lovely Raven. So the beast tamed the beauty? You swept the pretty little witch off her feet, huh? Well how about if I sweep you away?" Again more maniacal laughter followed.

There was an explosion and a torrent of water began to flood the tunnel, sweeping Garfield away. Raven flew down to him; but by the time she reached him the tunnel was fully flooded and the torrent was stronger than before, knocking the couple against the tunnel walls. Raven formed a dark bubble around them to protect them from the flotsam and jetsam in the tunnel.

The surveying trio heard the explosion and watched in horror as a river of water gushed out of the tunnel. As the flow increased to a full torrent they saw a black bubble fly out of the tunnel and bounce down the canyon walls to the river below, which had become engorged and turbulent with the sudden flow from the tunnel. The dark bubble suddenly vanished and two limp forms fell from it into the turbulent river.

"It's them!" Nightwing shouted "We have to get to them or they'll drown!"

Two figures shot from the sky. It was the Tamaranians, who had heard the explosion from the nearby rendezvous point where they lingered with Cassie and Terra. They rushed to the dam when they heard the explosion, followed closely by Terra and Cassie who flew in on a boulder. Nightwing reached for his Titan's communicator.

"Star! Raven and Gar are in the river!" Dick shouted as he pointed into the raging flood.

Nightfire and her sister began to search but couldn't see them. Terra, however, did see them and leaped from her boulder with Cassie, reaching the Logans and keeping their unconscious forms above water. The princesses then swooped in, plucking the four from the raging waters, up to the top of the canyon where Batman, Robin and Nightwing had watched the disaster unfold.

After they landed Starfire performed CPR on Raven while Terra resuscitated Gar. After a few moments Raven coughed up some water and regained consciousness.

"Oooohh" Raven moaned holding her aching head "I can't believe we walked into that trap."

As she regained visual focus she saw Terra performing CPR on Gar and she appeared to be in a panic.

"Dammit BB! Breathe! Breathe!" she howled as she performed chest compressions, and then switched back to blowing into his now inactive lungs. Raven was frozen, too weak to help, reduced to a spectator in the tragedy happening before her. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Gar began to cough and ejected copious amounts of water before he resumed coughing. By this point Raven was fully lucid and had taken Gar into her arms.

Raven turned to Terra "Thanks" She whispered in a hoarse voice "Thanks for saving him."

Terra nodded in acknowledgment and stepped away, leaving the couple alone.

Gar finally opened his eyes, saw Raven, and smiled.

"What happened in the cave?" Batman asked.

"It was the Joker." Gar answered between coughs. "Why didn't I sense that trap?" He then felt around his belt. "Great! I lost my lightsaber."

Raven felt for her lightsaber and found it. "I still have the purple one." She told him.

"Good." Gar sounded relieved "I was afraid I would be stuck with one of those nasty SithSabers."

"Now what do we do?" Nightfire asked.

"We go home and recover." Batman ordered.

 _ **-( - )-**_

There were no other incidents that day and after a quiet late supper the clan members relaxed. Raven and Gar looked exhausted and somber after their near brush with drowning. The flood happened so quickly that Gar didn't have time to morph into a fish before hitting his head against a rock. They were about to excuse themselves and turn in early when Blackfire stood up.

"Friends, I know this has been a rough day for all of us, but I have some good news to share."

Everyone except for the Graysons turned to her with hopeful looks on their faces. After the day's fiascos any good news was welcome.

"Let's see, how can I explain this? Ok here goes! Vic and I we did something that on Tamaran would be the equivalent of eloping here on Earth!"

Everyone stared in stunned silence, until Jinx spoke up.

"You mean you're married now?" she asked, with a look of disbelief on her face.

"You bet!" Vic beamed, clearly pleased with his new marital status.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Raven whispered to Gar "It would have been so much easier."

"Shoulda, coulda, woulda." Gar whispered back.

"What about the wedding?" Terra said her voice tinged with disappointment.

"Oh, we'll still have one." Blackfire replied. "Vic's family wouldn't let us get away without one."

"Hey baby, they're your family now too!"

The announcement clearly changed the mood at the table. There were hugs and congratulations going around while Alfred carted in a small cake, apologizing that it was all he could get on short notice from the local bakery, and that had he sufficient advance notice he would have prepared a proper wedding cake for them.

 _ **-( - )-**_

A few hours later the Graysons were settling in for the night. Starfire had finished nursing Elizabeth, changed her diaper and tucked her in as Dick emerged from the bathroom. She was slipping on the Tinkerbell nightshirt that Dick got for her one of the times they went to Disneyland. They were regulars there, and Dick recently purchased annual passes for them, much to Starfire's delight.

As they settled in for the night Starfire gave Dick and extra tight hug and an unusually long good night kiss.

"Are you OK, Star?" he asked.

"We have all been in perilous situations before, but what happened today truly frightened me. For a moment I thought that we had lost two of our dearest friends."

"I know." He replied. "When Raven's bubble popped and I watched them fall unconscious into the river, I felt powerless to help them. It made me feel sick. It was a miracle you where still nearby. What happened?"

"We were about to head back to the Bat Cave when Terra asked Blackfire for advice on how to fit in with the team. We ended up staying and chatting until we heard the explosion."

"So Raven and Gar are alive because the four of you had a yak-fest?"

"Yes, Richard, because we women couldn't stop talking." She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

He smiled at her before responding "I swear I'll never complain about that again."

She smirked "You forgot to say 'master'".

"Yes master." He replied, still smiling as he turned off the lights.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Raven was in the bathroom brushing her teeth, while Gar was plopped on the bed, exhausted both emotionally and physically from the day's events. He was still angry that he lost his lightsaber but hoped no one ever found it. He imagined some stupid kids finding it and hurting themselves while they played with it. As Raven emerged from the bathroom he noticed she was wearing a nightshirt with a huge Eeyore and a Disneyland logo on it. The caption read 'Mornings make me blue.' After reading the caption he burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"You are. Since when do you wear anything from Disneyland? Never!"

"Not true. I wear the Jack Skellington hoodie you brought back for me all the time."

"Ok, fair enough, but Eeyore? Where did you get that?"

"Kori gave it to me last month. I'll admit the design is childish, but it is comfy."

"So when will you come with me to Disneyland? I hate going alone with Star and Dick."

She sighed. He went with them every time, and always begged Raven to join them. She never did, usually offering excuses about crowds, headaches or something else. "Fine, I'll go with you next time if you just shut up and let me sleep. I'm tired in case you haven't noticed. We almost drowned today, remember?"

"Deal!" he said with child like excitement, the day's ordeals already forgotten.

She could feel the happiness flow from her boy toy _. The things I do out of love for my green bean!_

He kissed her goodnight and turned off the light.

 _ **-( - )-**_

A week passed with no further incidents. The Doom Patrol searched all over Gotham for the Brotherhood of Evil, but with no success. Batman would go out on solitary patrols every night, trying to find any clue that might help, but came home empty handed every time. There was simply no sign of them, anywhere. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.

To stave off boredom and restlessness the clan was doing double training shifts. Nightwing and Cassie spent time training the Titans on the fine points of using Bat weapons such as Batarangs and grappling hooks. They also drilled the team in sword fighting, using Gar as a sparring mate.

To make matters worse, there had been threats made against the Wayne household. There was concern for Alfred's safety when he would leave to run errands. Batman made a public announcement that the Bat clan would protect the Wayne household. It was decided that whenever Alfred had to leave the sanctuary of Wayne Manor that he would have two Bat clan guardians with him. The roster order was Nightwing & Nightfire, Batgirl & Garfield, Blackfire & Raven, Phoenix & Jinx, and Hotspot & Kid Flash. Vic was still benched and still unhappy, but he didn't complain while Robin was given a bye.

The first two days were uneventful as Alfred only had minor errands those days. On the third day he had several errands that meant he would be away most of the day, much to Blackfire and Raven's dismay.

It was late in the morning and they had stopped at the tailor's to pick up some new suits for Bruce. Raven was bored out of her mind and Blackfire was faring no better.

 _Three more hours, just three more hours and we're done._ Raven thought to herself. As they headed back to the limo there was a commotion down the street, with screams and alarms filling the air.

"Blackfire, stay with Alfred while I see what's happening." Raven said as she flew away to investigate. Blackfire called Nightwing on her communicator to ask for reinforcements. Nightwing dispatched the entire Titan contingent except for Starfire who stayed behind with Lizzie.

As Raven reached the source of the commotion she saw its cause: CyBots. She scanned the area quickly, searching for Brother Blood, but could not find him. She then proceeded to demolish the CyBots as quickly as possible. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of Blood's droids snatch a small girl from her mother and run off. Raven immediately gave chase and several CyBots tried to block her, but she quickly demolished them and tossed them out of the way. Finally there was nothing between her and the kidnapping robot, which ran into a dead end alley. As Raven flew into the alley there was an explosion. Something hit her head and darkness engulfed her.

The other Titans arrived to help mop up the CyBot attack, which curiously was already retreating into the cities sewers.

"That's weird." Kid Flash remarked. "They didn't even try to fight us. They just ran away."

"Strange indeed." Nightwing agreed. "Well, the police seem to have everything under control. Let's head on back."

"Has anyone seen Raven?" Garfield asked in a worried voice.

No one had seen Raven since the beginning of the battle. Gar called her on both their Titans and Bat communicators, but there was no response. He then began to search the battle zone frantically, but found no trace of her. Finally he reached into the Force to find her. It was a vain hope, since as Jarvik Katarra had once remarked that the Force did not flow through Raven, but much to Gar's surprise she was leaving a small tremor in the Force.

Gar began to run as Nightwing told him to wait. They would regroup at the Bat Cave and from there launch a rescue with the help of the rest of the Bat Clan. Gar reluctantly agreed and headed back with the rest of the crew.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Raven woke up with a splitting head ache. She touched a sore spot on her head and felt a huge bump. She also noticed that she was wearing a metal collar around her neck. She tugged at it but it was locked tight. She tried to use her black energy to remove the collar, but she was unable to summon her powers.

"Raven dear, don't waste your efforts, we have your powers perfectly neutralized."

"Blood!" Raven snarled, her voice dripping with contempt. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? You mean you don't know? Why, I want to kill Beast Boy!" Blood laughed.

"You and what army Blood?" she hissed back "You can't touch him!"

"Quite true" Blood conceded. "But that's why I have you. You see Raven, you're going to kill Beast Boy for me!" Brother Blood emerged from the shadows with an evil grin on his face. "Yes, you will kill him while you watch helplessly. It will be so entertaining! And once you and Beast Boy are neutralized we will easily defeat the Bat Clan and the Doom Patrol."

Raven recoiled in fear for Gar. _What is Blood going to do?_

 _ **-( - )-**_


	36. Chapter 36

– Saving Raven

Gar charged into his room, unable to contain his fury. Partially morphing into the beast he bellowed a roar that was heard through the Manor. After morphing back into his human form he sat down on the bed, bent over, cradling his head in his hands. Despair washed over him as he forced himself to wait, as Batman had insisted. He knew the Dark Knight was right, they would use Raven as bait to trap him.

Garfield stood up and removed his Bat Clan costume, throwing it aside. He rummaged through the chest of drawers and found his Titans uniform. He stared at it for a moment before also tossing it away. He then stepped into the closet, emerging with his Jedi tunic.

He quietly put on the tunic, then the boots. He then attached the Jedi battle armor to his arms, legs and torso. He stood up and slipped on his Jedi robe, with the hood up. He attached Mace Windu's lightsaber to his belt.

He walked to the door to exit the room, but stopped. He stepped back into the closet, retrieving a small metal case, which he unlocked and opened. From it he retrieved the 3 Dark Jedi lightsabers he kept after defeating Vixx and his cohorts. He attached the one with the largest grip to his belt and returned the other two to the case, which he closed and locked before returning it to the closet.

He stood and looked at himself in the full length mirror on the wall. He was ready.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The entire extended clan was in the Bat Cave when Garfield entered, including Barbara and Victor. Except for Terra none of the inner Bat Clan had ever seen Garfield dressed as a Jedi Knight. Barbara gasped at his sight. He looked awe inspiring.

"Going somewhere, Garfield?" Batman asked him.

"I'm going to save my wife." Gar replied. "Do you have a problem with that?" His eyes glowed red with the dark side of the Force. The Titans knew what that meant and looked fearful.

"Please Garfield, do not leave now! We will help you rescue Raven, I swear by X'hal!" Nightfire cried.

"You know you are walking into a trap." Nightwing added.

"I can't stand waiting anymore!" Gar seethed. "I have to do something!"

"Please BB, if you leave now we'll lose both you and Raven" Terra implored him.

"Be patient, Garfield. We know that you are powerful, but they know your weakness, your love for Raven". Batman reminded him.

Gar collapsed into a chair, and began to weep. Nightfire hugged him in consolation. "Remember dear friend, we love her too and are willing to give our lives to save her. But we won't let you or anyone here throw away their lives in a vain rescue attempt. You are most powerful Garfield, but you cannot defeat them by yourself, not even with the dark side of the Force. And you cannot use the lightning; you promised Raven that you would never use it again. What good will it do to rescue Raven if you lose yourself?"

Garfield pulled the SithSaber from his belt and ignited it. It came to life, its red blade glimmering evilly. Gar could feel the dark side flow thru its grip. This lightsaber had many masters in the past, and Gar decided that there would be no more masters in the future. He shut it off and tossed it into the air where it remained levitated. He drew Windu's lightsaber and sliced the SithSaber in half, destroying it. As it fell it released a burst of dark side energy, stunning everyone in the cave.

"What was that?" Asked Jinx, her face contorted in disgust from feeling the evil that had escaped from the destroyed weapon.

"It contained a Force imprint of every dark master it's ever had, which were all released when I destroyed it. I'm sorry, I should have warned you."

He turned to Batman. "So what's the plan?"

"I need to know where we are going, so I can tell The Doom Patrol where to meet us."

"They're hiding in an abandoned steel mill on the north side of town. I was able to feel Raven through the Force."

"The old Gotham Steel plant. It's a maze of old buildings, a perfect base for them. We will meet half a mile south. We and the Doom Patrol will attack first while you wait behind. On my signal you will sneak in and rescue Raven. Once you have her retreat back to the Bat Cave and wait for us. If we need you we will call you, but plan on staying with Raven. If she needs medical attention Alfred and Victor will help."

Gar nodded in agreement "Let's do it".

 _ **-( - )-**_

The teams met at the rendezvous point south of the abandoned steel mill. Batman looked somber, even more than usual.

"They are expecting us. We should expect the unexpected. We will enter in three different locations. Doom Patrol, you will take the western entrance, Titans, you take the eastern side and the rest will come with me through the main gate. Gar, you come with us. I expect there will be gunfire. You can help us get past that. Once we are in you will wait at the main entrance until someone locates Raven, then we will call you so you can rescue her. Are we ready?"

Everyone nodded.

"OK then, let's move and stay sharp." The Dark Knight ordered.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Vic stayed behind with Oracle in the Bat Cave, monitoring the rescue team's progress.

"I can't stand not being there to help, Barbara." Vic complained. "How do you cope with it?"

Barbara Gordon sighed and spun her wheelchair around to face Vic.

"I don't. I die a little every time they go on a mission. Alfred does too."

"That's how I feel." Victor replied. He paused, as if deliberating something. "You and Dick, you were close, weren't you?" he asked.

"Very close." She replied.

"Yeah, I figured that. I always wondered why he took so long to make his move on Starfire. He went back to visit you a lot didn't he?"

"He did. We talked a lot about our future, at least until it happened."

"You mean when The Joker shot you in the spine. I remember that. Robin took a leave of absence."

"He was by my side until I was discharged from the hospital. There had been some hope that I might recover the use of my legs. I knew that my days as Batgirl were over, but I never expected it to be like this. That's when we broke up."

"You mean he dumped you because you were paralyzed?" Vic asked indignantly.

"No, I dumped him. You see, I'm not just paralyzed; I have no feeling whatsoever below my waist. Dick told me it didn't matter, he would marry me anyway, but I couldn't let him, it wouldn't have been fair to him."

"Whoa! I didn't know any of that. Now I see why he was so slow to approach Star."

"I'm really happy for him, Vic. Star is a nice girl and I know they will be happy. But I'd be lying if I said that it doesn't hurt to see them together. It could have been me Victor, had it not been for The Joker's bullet."

"I'm so sorry, Barbara, and embarrassed. I was feeling sorry for myself and now I realize that you would trade places with me in a heartbeat."

She took his hand and squeezed it tight. "It's hard being an ex-superhero."

He squeezed back.

 _ **-( - )-**_

As the Bat Clan stormed the main entrance they were greeted by a rainstorm of laser and blaster fire. Gar led the charge, attracting most of the fire to himself and deflecting it with his lightsaber. The rest of the clan made it safely past the gauntlet of fire and had safely entered the building. It was quiet inside, until a smooth, monotone voice broke the silence.

"Well if it isn't my old friend Batman, and he brought his children with him. But where is Robin?"

"I'm right here!" Tim Drake replied.

"No, not you boy. I want your predecessor. Nightwing. I have unfinished business with him." The voice replied.

"You're going down, Deathstroke!" Batman snarled.

"I no longer go by that name. Just call me Slade."

Slade emerged from a shadow, followed by dozens of replicas of himself.

"Slade, you cheating bastard!" Phoenix howled at him.

"Terra." a voice replied from the crowd of Slade look a likes. "How nice to see you again. So it's true that you are a member of Batman's harem now. I thought you had more class."

Batman, Batgirl, Cassie, and Phoenix drew their bat weapons. That was when the army of Slades charged, opening fire on the Bat Clan.

Gar stayed in the shadows at Batman's request, but he was able to feel Raven's presence through the Force, which told him that he could reach her through the door on the far side of the room. He decided to charge through the crowd of Slades which he knew were SladeBots. He ignited his lightsaber and charged. He took down a dozen SladeBots by the time he reached the door. The SladeBots appeared to ignore him, focusing only on the Bat Clan.

 _ **-( - )-**_

As the Titans entered through the east they found themselves facing The Joker and the rest of the Gotham villains.

"The Joker is mine!" Nightwing shouted. "Star, you take Scarecrow, Jinx take Harley, Flash watch out for Poison Ivy, Hot Spot you take Mr. Freeze. Titans Go!"

 _ **-( - )-**_

Garfield followed the Force as it led him to Raven. He opened a door that led into a large empty warehouse. He saw a small figure in the middle of the room, slumped on the floor.

"Raven!" he shouted as he ran to the supine figure.

As he reached the middle of the dark room the figure, a small woman, got up with her back to him. She ignited a lightsaber, with a green blade, and turned around. She was wearing one of Slade's power controlling collars and her eyes were glowing red.

"Raven?" Gar called to her, his voice and face mired in confusion.

Raven's mouth opened, but it was Brother Blood's voice that came out.

"Time to die, Beast Boy!"

 _ **-( - )-**_


	37. Chapter 37

– Between a rock and a hard place

The SladeBots were being systematically eliminated until only the real Slade was left.

"Batgirl, Robin, go help the Titans. Phoenix! We're taking Deathstroke."

As Batgirl and Robin charged out to help the Titans, Batman and Phoenix surrounded Slade.

"You used to be my apprentice Terra, now you are his. Do you think you chose wisely?"

Batman leaped at Slade, who dodged his attack, and struck back, barely missing the Dark Knight.

"You're past your prime, Bats. You should have sent Nightwing to battle me."

Phoenix summoned a cloud of gravel from a nearby pile and hurled it at Slade, who executed two back flips to avoid it.

"Child, I taught you all your tricks, they won't work against me. Is this the best the two of you can do?"

 _ **-( - )-**_

The Doom Patrol was busy engaging Mallah, Rouge and the other Brotherhood of Evil minions. Robotman was fighting Mallah, while Elastigirl was battling Madame Rouge. Mento and Negative Man were keeping the rest at bay while the Brain observed from a safe vantage point. The battle was clearly a stalemate, but the Brain was more interested in events that were transpiring elsewhere.

"The changeling has fallen into our trap." He announced with his synthetic voice. "Once again he will fail, and will pay the ultimate price."

 _ **-( - )-**_

Nightwing and Jinx were battling with the Joker and Harley, who evaded their attacks but did not strike back. The Joker did taunt them of course.

"Once a boy blunder, always a blunder, right Nightwing?" The Joker cackled. "Of course you remember what I did to your sweetheart Barbara and your first replacement."

"Be quiet you vile man!" Nightfire screeched as she launched a barrage of star bolts at the Joker, while ignoring the Scarecrow momentarily.

"Star! Stay focused on Crane!" Nightwing shouted.

"You mean you never told her about you and Babs! Or should I say Batgirl?" the Joker howled in laughter.

Starfire had returned to battling the Scarecrow. In her fury she smothered him with star bolts, until moved no more. Realizing what she had done, she retreated from the battle.

"I'll take that as a 'no'" the Joker laughed.

"Star, help Hotspot!" Hotspot was having trouble with Mr. Freeze and was struggling for his life against the cold mastermind. Star snapped out from her trance and joined in the attack against Mr. Freeze.

Jinx had already captured Harley and had come to Kid Flash's aid against Poison Ivy.

Things were looking good for the Titans.

 _ **-( - )-**_

"Rae, fight it, you can regain control!" Gar shouted as he blocked a strike with his lightsaber. She had Gar's lost lightsaber in her hands. The Joker had found in the overflow tunnel, a small consolation prize for blowing his mission to eliminate a member of the Bat Clan.

Raven could only watch in horror through her own eyes as her possessed body attacked her beloved. She knew that Gar would be able to fend off her clumsy attacks, which were controlled by Brother Blood. But she also knew that he couldn't strike her down and he couldn't hold her off indefinitely. He had to retreat.

As if he could read Gar's mind, Raven's mouth opened and spoke again in Blood's voice. "Don't even think of running off, Beast Boy. If you do, I'll kill her."

Raven was screaming in her mind. "Run Gar! If you love me get out of here and save yourself. Please!"

The two continued in battle, Gar on the defensive while Raven's attacks become fiercer and came progressively closer to striking Gar. He only had to make a single mistake to fail, and he made one, a very unfortunate one. He slipped on a small oil stain on the ground and fell just as Raven was delivering a dangerous attack. He was unable to brace himself for the fall as he had to block the attack. After he hit the ground he dropped his lightsaber, which rolled away out of his line of sight.

As Blood raised Raven's arms to deliver the final strike she screamed in her mind. Gar looked helpless. She was going to watch him die. But this time the killing blow would be delivered accurately, and Raven could not even divert her eyes away from the horror she was about to witness.

Gar pulled a smoke bomb out of his belt, one of the few Bat weapons he brought with him and detonated it at Raven's feet. She couldn't see anything, which meant that Blood was also blinded. Blood flailed the lightsaber randomly, hoping to keep Gar away or maybe get a lucky strike. Instead he saw a purple streak come out of nowhere and slice off the emitter from the lightsaber in Raven's hand, leaving it permanently disabled. Gar had retrieved his lightsaber.

Blood realized that the battle was lost and ordered Raven's body to retreat. But it was too late, as Gar leaped at Raven in the form of a tiger, knocking her down. The tiger waved its paw over the neck collar's lock and the collar popped open falling off Raven's neck. By the time Gar morphed back into his human form Raven had recovered control and not a moment too soon as a platoon of CyBots had entered the room, firing upon the couple. Raven raised a dark shield to protect them from the barrage of fire. Gar somersaulted over the barrier and began striking down the droids and was immediately joined by Raven who used her powers to crush them.

The two ran to each other and embraced. Raven began to bawl, burying her face in Gar's chest while he held her and kissed the crown of her head. They once again overcame the odds and survived.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Slade was holding his own against Batman and Phoenix when Raven and Gar burst into the room. His single eye widened as he realized that the plan had failed. He bolted for an exit, but was cut off by a wall of Raven's dark energy. She then seized Slade and began to thrash him around, slamming him violently into walls and the ground. Within moments Slade was a bloody mess. Raven only stopped after Gar reached her and held her. Batman cuffed Slade and approached the couple.

"I see you were successful, Garfield." He looked at Raven, who had fallen to her knees. "Take her back to the Bat Cave and have her rest. We should be able to mop up the rest.

 _ **-( - )-**_

The Brain suddenly ordered his minions to retreat, escaping through an exit that was blocked by the debris from an explosion triggered after they made their getaway.

"Why do they always get away?" Moaned Negative Man.

"Because they are cowards." Mento replied. "Garfield was successful. They failed and ran. Let's go help the others."

 _ **-( - )-**_

With the help of Phoenix and the Doom Patrol the rest of the Gotham villain contingent was easily subdued. It was going to get very crowded at Arkham. The Gotham PD arrived in time to take the prisoners away, and Commissioner Gordon congratulated the Bat Clan, the Titans and the Doom Patrol for a job well done.

The Doom Patrol immediately excused themselves to once again track the Brotherhood of evil while the Bat Clan and the Titans returned to the Bat Cave.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Victor was immensely relieved to see the Logan's return and after examining them both gave them a clean bill of health. He saw some unusual hormonal activity in Raven, but chalked it up to her having been under Blood's influence. Nothing that a good night of rest wouldn't take care of. As the others arrived he also checked them and all were in good health.

Batman congratulated his extended team and promised them a celebration in the morning. Alfred announced that there were sandwiches and other refreshments waiting for them in their rooms and that he would have a celebratory brunch waiting for them at 10:00 AM. Batman dismissed the team and wished them a good night.

Everyone was exhausted and retreated to their rooms where after a shower and the light supper Alfred had left them most immediately retired for the night. Cassie and Terra walked slowly to their rooms while passing by the rooms occupied by couples.

"It's another Saturday night and once again we don't have dates." Terra joked to Cassie.

"Notice that Flash was in Jinx's room?" Cassie asked.

"I guess we know who is getting hitched next." Terra joked. "I'm getting so desperate that Tim is starting to look appealing."

"You are desperate if you're considering cradle robbing." Cassie teased her.

"Shut up Cassandra. Its past your bedtime anyway." Terra joked back.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Starfire woke up first. Richard was snoring peacefully as she ran her hand down the length of his disrobed body and was enjoying it thoroughly. Dick had been hesitant to resume intimate relations with her since Lizzie was born, but she had convinced him last night that she was ready to resume.

As she admired his muscular body she was reminded of how humans can be both so strong and yet so frail at the same time. She knew that back home on Tamaran Richard was considered a feeble weakling. Maybe he couldn't survive in the vacuum of space or lift tons of weight with a single arm, but she knew that he had it where it counts, and he demonstrated that to her most convincingly last night. Most convincingly.

"Richard, it's time to get up."

"Mmmm" he groaned.

"Why don't you shower while I feed Elizabeth?"

There were more groans as he dragged himself to the bathroom.

 _Humans are not resilient._ She reminded herself with a smile.

 _ **-( - )-**_

Raven and Gar were the last to arrive for the brunch feast. Alfred had outdone himself once again. There were several varieties of eggs to start with, including Raven's favorite: Eggs Benedict.

"Alfred, thanks for making eggs Benedict, they're my favorite."

"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Logan. You can thank Master Garfield though; he let me know that they are your preferred style."

Raven and Gar filled their plates and joined in the celebration. Mindful of Raven's scolding from a few days earlier Gar did not go back for seconds, even though Raven did herself. The team had a splendid time laughing and sharing jokes. But after about 30 minutes Raven didn't look well.

"Rae, are you OK? You look a little green, which is a healthy color for me, but not for you."

"No, I'm not ... I'm going to be sick." She said as she got up, preparing to bolt for the nearest bathroom.

Fortunately Alfred was right behind her with a dustbin, and she immediately threw up into it. Gar held her now long hair back.

"Rave, baby, what's wrong? You never throw up." Gar asked her as he gave her a glass of water to rinse her mouth out with. After rinsing and spitting out the water, she apologized to Alfred.

"Think nothing of it, Mrs. Logan, no harm was done."

She turned to Gar. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before." She whispered to him. "But I'm running late."

"Late? Late for what?" he whispered back.

"What do you think? That I have an overdue book at the library?"

Gar's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"So that's why I could feel you through the Force!" he shouted as he placed his right hand over her navel. He became very quiet as he summoned the Force to probe Raven's body more closely.

"Whoa." He whispered to her. He embraced her and gave her a very passionate kiss.

"Uh, what's going on?" Kid Flash asked foolishly.

Jinx elbowed him hard in the ribs. "She's pregnant, you dimwit!"

The table erupted in cheers.

"Way to go, grass stain." Victor shouted.

"BB, you're going to be a father!" Terra congratulated him..

Starfire gently hugged Raven and kissed her on the cheek. "I am so happy for you, my sister!" she said as tears streamed down her cheeks. Raven hugged her back.

"I'm both excited and scared!"

"Fear not, for I will be there with you every step of the way." Starfire promised her.

The now expanded celebration lasted all day and the Titans decided to postpone their return trip so they could recover from the celebration.

 _ **-(-)-**_

This is then end of part 2. I wrote 12 chapters for part 3 (which is more Jedi centric, and Ahsoka and others make an appearance. Let me know if you want more. Part 3 is about two thirds done. I can't promise that I will finish part 3, but your enthusiasm will play a big part in part 3 being finished. Share your thoughts about what you think the new chapters should say.


	38. Chapter 38

OK, this is the beginning of part 3. More Jedi stuff this time.

– All good things come to an end

It had been a peaceful 5 months since the Axis of Evil was routed by the alliance between the Titans, Bat Clan and the Doom Patrol.

Nightwing and Starfire returned to the Tower and Changeling gladly stepped down as the interim leader of the Titans. Starfire chose to retain her Bat clan costume but was happy to once again be simply 'Starfire'. The Graysons were also happy to be home again with their daughter Elizabeth, who now had a nearly endless supply of "aunts and uncles" to watch over her, which came in very handy as she was now flying all over the Tower like an out of control cruise missile, giggling as she dodged most attempts to capture her. At times only Gar and Raven could catch her, mostly due to their unique powers. Nightwing now understood why most Tamaranian kids were raised by a knorfka.

Now that he was back in charge Nightwing had some difficult decisions to make. Changeling had given permanent Titan Status to Jinx, Kid Flash and Hot Spot and he wasn't sure what to do with the new team members. He would not go back on their promotion from Honorary Titans, but was debating whether to keep them in Jump City or reassign them to other Titans outposts. He decided to do something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. He was going to ask Garfield for his advice.

Then there was Victor and Blackfire. Victor had been working with Tony Stark to develop an exo-suit much like Ironman's suit that would incorporate some of Vic's old Cyborg tech. Vic chose to incorporate his beloved sonic canons instead of Tony's repulsor rays. Once his suit was complete and passed operational tests he would be able to return to active duty, but the suit was still far from completion. He remained sidelined, banned from participating in missions. Blackfire had become a de-facto member of the Titans but was never been formally admitted. The two had their official wedding 3 months prior, a simple affair in Metropolis which was done mostly for the benefit of his family, some of which had their doubts about his marrying a renegade alien Princess. Once they met Blackfire she won them over. They also liked the fact that Victor would become by law Tamaranian royalty (never mind that Tamaranians rejected him the same way they had rejected Nightwing) as Blackfire's Prince Consort. This complicated things for Nightwing. He eventually decided to invite Komand'r to join the team on a permanent basis.

Raven was also on leave during her pregnancy. She had taken over as the team's intelligence gatherer for Victor while both she and Gar had resumed their online college degrees, which they had been able to make major strides on since most Jump City villains were doing time in the slammer. Raven was already a Senior and was rushing to finish her degree before the baby arrived. Gar was also a Senior and had applied to a few Veterinary Schools. Colorado State in Fort Collins had already shown some interest in admitting him, which thrilled Gar as CSU had one of the best Veterinary schools in the nation.

Raven was showing her pregnancy and she shopped for maternity clothes with Starfire, which she hated with a passion. She missed her small waist and hour glass figure, and frequently complained to her husband that she looked like she had swallowed a basketball, to which he always replied "pregnant girls are hot!" which always made her roll her eyes. Starfire was ecstatic over Raven's progress and had briefly fallen back to her old, overenthusiastic ways, much to Raven's chagrin. Still, she put up with her "sister's" alien eccentricities knowing that her actions were based purely on love. Being married to Gar had its pluses. If she could put up with his oddities, she could handle anyone now.

Today had started out slow. It was a cold, overcast winter morning and everyone but Nightwing and Victor had chosen to sleep in. There was no need to get up as crime had fallen dramatically in Jump City. The Tamaranians were up late the night before with Jinx planning a baby shower for Raven. Wally and Hotspot had been out clubbing and didn't get home until the crack of dawn. They wouldn't be up any time before lunch.

Raven was just plain tired. Unlike Starfire she did not possess super human strength and her pregnancy was taking a toll on her. She was sound asleep, curled up next to Gar, who woke up and was stroking her swollen belly with his palm. It was so quiet and peaceful that he was beginning to doze off again.

Of course, that's when the crime alarm went off. Gar leaped out of bed and ran off to the common room still in his pajamas. He found Nightwing already the ops console. It was a run of the mill bank robbery. Nightwing decided to let the junior members of the team handle it, and ordered Changeling to supervise the mission. After the Titans had hastily dressed they began to head out.

Raven came down to the common room while Gar changed. When he came back down she shouted, almost startled.

"Gar! The baby!"

Changeling literally flew to her side. "What's wrong?" he asked nervously.

"Nothing's wrong. I felt our baby move."

He placed his hand over her midsection, hoping to share in the experience. But he was too late, as the child had settled in.

"I gotta go!" he kissed her and left.

After the heroes had departed Nightwing looked at Raven, still in her pajamas and wearing a robe. Seeing that Nightwing was covering for her at the ops console she stumbled into the kitchen to make herself some breakfast.

 _She looks awful._ Nightwing mumbled to himself.

"I heard that!" Raven shouted. " You try being pregnant when you're small like me and then say that again!"

 _ **-(-)-**_

Changeling morphed into an eagle to fly to the bank, carrying his lightsaber in his talons. As the Titans neared the bank's location he felt a tremor in the Force. It was strong but unfamiliar. It was neither Masters Yoda nor Katarra, nor was it Ahsoka. Changeling landed and morphed back into human form before reaching the bank.

"Titans! Be careful. There might be a Dark Jedi nearby!" Changeling shouted to his team, which continued the approach on foot.

As they reached the bank the Titans saw a single man, clearly human, with balding dark hair and a dark complexion battling with several bank robbers armed with automatic weapons. He was dressed in a Jedi tunic and was armed with a green bladed lightsaber, deflecting their shots.

"Titans, stand back. I'll help him out." Changeling commanded as he drew Mace Windu's lightsaber and ignited it with the familiar snap-hiss sound echoing throughout the street.

The bandits recognized Changeling and started shooting at him as well, but quickly decided it would be best to surrender than face two of the mysterious lightsaber wielding men. They dropped their weapons and fell to their knees with their hands behind their heads, and as soon as the Jump City PD arrived they were cuffed and taken into custody.

At this point the rest of Changeling's team moved in and surrounded their leader. The stranger shut off his lightsaber and approached him, ignoring the security perimeter.

"Greetings Garfield Logan, I am Master Qu Rahn." The stranger introduced himself, bowing to Changeling.

Gar bowed back. "Welcome Master Rahn. I'm sorry, but I've never heard of you. How do I know that you're a friend and not an enemy?"

"I bring you a token from an old friend." He produced a pearl pendant that Gar and Raven gave to Ahsoka Tano as a parting gift just over a year ago. Gar took the pendant and through the Force was able to confirm that Ahsoka had willingly given it to this man. He returned it to Rahn and asked him another question.

"Why are you here?"

"Master Yoda sent me." He replied. "To complete your training as a Master."

"Why?" Gar asked.

"Because he needs you to come back with me."

"What? Why?" he asked again.

"To find the Valley of the Jedi."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Changeling pulled out his communicator.

"Nightwing, this is Changeling, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear." Richard replied. "What's the status?"

"The bank robbers surrendered and there were no casualties"

"Excellent work."

"We had some unexpected help. A Jedi Master showed up out of nowhere and helped us."

Raven was monitoring the conversation at the ops console. "A Jedi Master? Who is it?" she interjected.

"Someone new. I'm bringing him back to the tower. Changeling out."

Gar turned to the Jedi Master, who stood still, the very model of patience.

"Master Rahn, I'll take you back to Titans Tower".

Changeling morphed into a pterosaur and grasped Rahn by the arms with his talons, carrying him back to the Tower. While Ahsoka told Rahn about Gar's shape shifting abilities it was something else to experience them first hand. Gar made the Clawdite shape shifters look like amateurs, at least by the range of creatures he could morph into.

As they approached the Tower Changeling could see that the rest of the Titan team had congregated on the roof. He approached gently, first releasing Rahn before morphing back into his human form and landing himself. He began introducing Rahn to the team, ending with Raven as the crowd dispersed.

Rahn immediately noticed Raven's condition and made a mental note of it. _This could complicate things._

"Mrs. Logan, I'm pleased to meet you. Ahsoka and Master Yoda speak very highly of you."

"Master Yoda?" Raven asked skeptically.

Rahn chuckled. "Yes, believe it or not he has a great deal of respect for you."

"Forgive me Master Rahn, but what business have you here? It seems that bad things always happen to my husband when the Jedi are involved."

"To be fair Mrs. Logan, he is a Jedi Knight. And I was sent here by Master Yoda to complete his training."

"Complete his training?" Raven asked. It was becoming obvious to Rahn that she was going to be difficult. "For what? He's already a Knight. And just call me Raven."

"Master Yoda believes that Garfield has the potential to become a Jedi Master."

"I thought that he couldn't become a Master because we're married." She asked suspiciously. "Anyway, there's no point in training him. We're retiring once our child is born."

"Retiring?" Rahn asked in a skeptical tone.

"Yes, we're quitting the hero business. I expect to be driving my kids to soccer practice in a minivan and not fighting villains. The next generation can handle that. We need to focus on completing our degrees. We're both planning on attending graduate school next year."

Rahn looked troubled. "Master Yoda has made an exception for Garfield's marital status"

"So, what's the catch?" she asked with her arms crossed. "What do you want from him?"

Rahn frowned. "Master Yoda wishes for him to return with me to search for the Valley of the Jedi."

"Return to your dimension? Out of the question. He's not going anywhere. In case you haven't noticed he's going to be a father soon and I need him right here."

Rahn sighed. _This is why the code requires celibacy._ "I understand Raven. Perhaps we might discuss this later, at a better time."

Raven's face took on its demonic, 4 eyed form. "There won't be a better time, so forget it!"

Rahn bowed to her. "As you wish."

 _ **-(-)-**_

It was late and Rahn paced alone along the roof of Titans Tower. His realized that his mission hadn't even really begun and was already failing. _What was Master Yoda thinking? Promoting me to the rank of Master and sending me here? And this girl, Trigon's daughter! How could a Jedi be married to a demoness?_ Short of a Sith Lord, Raven was the scariest person he had ever met.

Nothing made sense to Rahn. Gar should be thrilled at the prospect of becoming a Jedi Master; it was a rare honor for one so young. And he would throw that away to become a veterinarian? To live a bourgeois middle class life style? What was wrong with him? Was it the girl's influence?

He needed to convince Garfield, no, he needed to convince Raven that it would be worthwhile for Gar to train to be a Jedi Master. The only question was how?

He stared at the night sky, as if hoping to find the answer to his question in the stars above. Little did he know at the time that was where would find the answer, if unexpectedly.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Raven and Gar were turning in for the night. Raven was still agitated by Rahn's arrival. She knew that this would eventually happen. The Jedi would show up and make outrageous demands on Gar. She decided to meditate for a while to calm herself before going to bed. Gar was already in bed and she sat on the bed and adopted the lotus position and began to levitate.

"Gar, do you want to train to be a Jedi Master?"

He deliberated before answering. "Part of me does. I want to live up to my potential. But…"

"But?"

"I'm afraid of where it will lead. To being away from you. To even more dangerous missions. "

"Like finding the 'Valley of the Jedi'? What is that anyway?"

"I have no idea. But I do know that I'm not going back with Rahn to his dimension."

He sighed.

"What are we going to do with Rahn?"

"Let's give him the Jedi Arrow and send him home." She replied.

"Are you serious?" he sounded surprised.

"Why not? Are you planning on taking it to College?"

He chuckled. "Good luck parking that on campus."

Raven saw her husband smiling and relaxed. She dropped down from her levitated position, floating gently down landing on top of him.

"Still think I'm hot?" she asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Always." He replied wearing his signature grin.

"Prove it!" she challenged him as she turned off the light.

"I thought you'd never ask." he said as they embraced and kissed.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing was disturbed. Starfire could clearly see it in his body language.

"Richard, what's wrong?"

"This is." He said as he tossed two fat envelopes at her.

She picked them up. Both were from Colorado State University. One was addressed to Raven and one to Garfield.

"What does this mean?" she asked.

"They've both been accepted at Colorado State"

"Richard! You didn't read their mail?"

"Of course not! I don't need to. A fat envelope from the admissions office means one thing: acceptance. I had no doubt they would accept Raven, but I was hoping that Gar wouldn't make it into the Veterinary school. It's very competitive and hard to get into."

"Richard, that is so selfish of you!"

"Yeah, I know. But Star, if they leave they won't be coming back. And they'll be leaving next summer." His voice trailed off. "I knew that this day would come, but now that it's here, well, I don't know. Vic and Blackfire are also thinking of moving on, to work with Tony Stark. At least they'll be nearby in Los Angeles, but Colorado isn't that close."

She got up and hugged him. "I know and I also wish they would stay, but Raven is most insistent on starting a new life." She lingered before continuing.

"Do you never think about the same for us?"

"Star, I was raised in the Bat Clan. Duty always came first. Now seeing them getting ready to move on makes me wonder. I have considered it, but to be honest I'm not sure I'm ready to do that. But I have moved forward. I'm the first member of the Bat Clan to marry, well, not counting Terra of course."

"I understand, Richard. I remember how hard it was for you before Tokyo. At first I thought you were just shy, but in Tokyo I finally understood how consumed you were by your sense of duty."

"I was an idiot, and I almost lost you. Stupid Bruce, he should have married Selina when he had the chance."

Starfire nodded in agreement.

"You know why I left the Bat Clan? It was because I was dating Barbara Gordon. He told me to stop." He had never told her that.

"Where you serious with her?" Starfire asked.

"Very serious. After she was paralyzed she broke up with me, saying that it would never work. I was heartbroken and buried myself in my work."

"Is that why you became so obsessed with Slade?"

"I think it was. It was a way to not think about her."

"Do you still love her?"

He sighed before continuing.

"Star, you are the love of my life and I will always be faithful to you. But there will always be a special place in my heart for Barbara Gordon."

She kissed him. "It is OK, I understand. Now why don't you deliver those letters? When you get back we will call it a night."

He picked up the two letters and stared at them before walking to his desk. He grabbed a large manila envelope and scribbled on it with a felt pen before placing the two acceptance letters into the larger envelope.

"I'm not letting them leave without a fight." He mumbled as he left with the envelope in his right hand. The scribbling simply said 'We need to talk'.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Master Qu Rahn is a character from the Star Wars "Expanded Universe". He was Kyle Katarn's Master in the old video game "Dark Forces: Jedi Knight". If you want to learn more about him look him up in wookiepedia dot com


	39. Chapter 39

Garfield woke up before Raven did, which was odd. Glancing at the alarm clock he knew that she would be getting up soon. After taking care of some business in bathroom he silently slipped out of their bedroom and headed towards the kitchenette in their apartment for an early morning, pre-breakfast snack. He also filled the electric kettle with some water for Raven's morning tea. As he scarfed down a granola bar which he washed down with his usual glass of soy milk he noticed the manila envelope that Nightwing has slipped under their door last night. He read the "We need to talk" and recognized Nightwing's handwriting and wondered what their leader wanted. With a frown he emptied the envelope's contents onto the small dinette table. His frown tuned to a smile when he saw who the two letters were from and was almost tempted to run into their bedroom, waking Raven with his shouting. He stopped himself when he heard the electric kettle whistle and instead made Raven her tea. He then, as cool as a cucumber, walked back into their bedroom with her mug of tea in one hand and the three envelopes in the other. She was already awake, slowly stretching while still lying down. She then sat up and he handed her the mug.

"Thanks." She whispered as she took a sip.

"Mail call." He replied as he handed Raven her acceptance letter. She immediately recognized what it was, ripped the envelope open and read it quickly.

"They accepted me into the Ph.D. program in the English department!" she shared with a smile.

"Like there was any doubt they would accept you. You're good enough for Ivy League, you know." He smirked at her. He looked awfully smug.

"Did you get anything in the mail?" she asked him, knowing well that he did. She could feel how pleased he was with himself.

"You bet!" he shouted and tossed her his letter. "Go ahead, open it."

Raven opened the letter and read it. Smiling, she stood and hugged her husband.

"Gar, I'm so proud of you." She sniffled.

"No bad for a guy with no brain, huh?" he asked in jest, but unwittingly hit a nerve. She released him from her embrace and turned away from him.

"I'm sorry I ever said that to you. I was a jer… I was messed up back then." She sniffled even louder.

"We were just kids then, Rave, forget it." He took her hand and pulled her into a warm hug. "I thought we agreed that you would forgive yourself for all that?"

She nodded her head and then rested it on his shoulder.

After a couple of minutes he released her. "Anyway, we have another problem. The envelopes were in this." He handed her the manila envelope and she read the scribble on it, also recognizing the handwriting.

"Gar, he's going to try to talk us out of it. He wants us to stay."

"I don't need to be an empath to know that." He replied. "But we have to get ready; your appointment with Dr. Nuñez is at 10."

She nodded and finished her tea before heading off to the bathroom.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Nightwing had no idea of what he was going to tell them. He couldn't pull the "we need you" card on them as there was no shortage of honorary Titans willing to take their place. He really had no excuse to ask them to stay.

"Star, what am I going to tell them?" he asked her frantically.

"Why not tell them the truth? That if they leave you'll miss them terribly because you love them." She replied.

"I can't tell them that!" he shrieked.

"Why?"

"Because! Because it just isn't done. It's wrong." He said in exasperation.

She shrugged. "I guess I will have to tell them." She said coolly.

"Star, don't" he begged.

"Hmmmpphh!" she replied.

 _-(-)-_

Dr. Armando Nuñez was the Xenobiology expert at S.T.A.R. Labs. He flew in today just to see Raven. He had also been Starfire's attending physician when she was pregnant. He had just finished going over the ultrasound results with them.

"Your child has every appearance of being healthy and normal." He informed them.

"Appearance?" Gar asked.

The doctor sighed. "Your case is a special one. No one on earth is familiar with Raven's unique physiology." He turned to Raven. "On the surface you seem like a normal human, except for your bodily pigmentation of course. Your organs are all in the right places for one thing. But your body chemistry betrays that you are not human."

"And?" she replied.

"Well, nothing really, it's just that I don't know what is normal for you or your child. And Garfield's unusual DNA doesn't help either. When Starfire was pregnant I was able to consult with Tamaranian physicians, but in your case I don't have that luxury. You are one of a kind Raven, and it's making things difficult. For instance, we need to discuss alternative methods of birth control. Clearly the hormonal methods I prescribed for you didn't work." He answered, referring to the fact that the Logan's pregnancy was unplanned.

"Maybe we can discuss that next time?" Gar asked.

"That will be fine." The doctor replied. "Other than barrier methods I have nothing to prescribe for you at this time. It's unfortunate that your home world of Azarath is gone, otherwise I could consult with physicians who would be familiar with your physiology."

Raven took in the news somberly. She hated being reminded that she was unique, a freak in the eyes of many.

"Thanks Dr. Nuñez. We'll see you next month." She said as they stood to leave.

 _ **-(-)-**_

As he drove them back to the Tower Gar took the car past the old Pizza Parlor they used to frequent so often when they were teens. He glanced down the street.

"Remember that first day? When we all met." He asked Raven.

"It was here." She smiled. "We were just a bunch of kids. I and was so shy."

"Star sure wasn't!" he laughed. "Little did she know that she would marry the kid she was trying to kill."

"And you were such a geek!" she chuckled back. "You actually thought that stupid mask was cool!"

"Bet you never imagined that you would marry that geeky kid, huh?"

"To be honest, if someone had told me that back then, I would have laughed." She admitted.

"Me too! I had a crush on you starting that very day, but I never thought it would be returned, at least not back then."

With no warning the car flipped over, rolled and crashed into a street light, knocking it over. The airbags deployed and the car ended the right side up.

"Rae!" Gar shrieked "Are you hurt?"

"I think I'm OK. Those airbags work. What happened? Did something hit us?"

"No, it wasn't that. I'm not sure, but it felt like a Force attack flipped the car."

Raven became alarmed and used her dark energy to rip the damaged doors off the car.

"Gar, we have to get out of here!" she said as she flew out of the car.

Gar agreed and got out as well. He searched for the source of the attack, and located it quickly. It was dressed in black and was wielding a red bladed lightsaber.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Back at the tower Vic prepared brunch for everyone. Starfire was explaining to Rahn what the different dishes were when he jumped out of his seat.

"Garfield and Raven are in grave danger!" The Jedi Master shouted.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The dark clad stranger lunged at Gar, attacking him with swift and powerful strikes. Gar was holding him at bay, but it was clear to Raven that their assailant clearly had the upper hand. He was much more powerful than Ventress was. Gar would not last long against him.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos" she chanted as dark energy enveloped the dark warrior's body. He turned towards Raven and clenched his fist. Raven felt her windpipe close shut and briefly panicked. Her grip on the Dark Jedi was lost and he resumed attacking Gar. She summoned all her will power to calm herself and retrace the defensive exercises she did with Ahsoka a year ago. She focused her dark energy inside her windpipe. At first it was as wide as a thread. She struggled to expand it, but the Force choke was very strong and held. She realized that she had to open her windpipe before she passed out or she would die. She tried again and this time met with some success as a trickle of precious air made it into her lungs. Encouraged she pushed harder and it opened a little more. She couldn't help Gar as she hadn't removed the Force's grip on her neck, but at least she was no longer in immediate danger of suffocating.

Gar wasn't faring as well. The dark warrior clearly had him on the defensive. Gar felt real fear run down his spine. He knew that if the Dark Jedi killed him he would also kill Raven and the baby. He couldn't let that happen, he just couldn't.

Suddenly a barrage of star bolts, repulsor rays and fire balls rained down on the warrior, who deflected them with his lightsaber. The attack was so intense that he had to release Raven, who got to her feet and flew to Gar's side. The nodded at each other and set their focus back on the Dark Jedi.

Nightwing was pulling up on his motorcycle, and threw every bomb he had at the warrior, who struck them down with his lightsaber. Rahn was seated behind Nightwing and leaped from his perch, performed a somersault and landed next to Gar, his lightsaber already ignited.

He stared at the Dark Jedi's face. "No! It can't be!" he muttered. "We were told that Dooku killed you!"

"Hello Rahn. So you're a Master now? I would congratulate you, except that I'm going to destroy you and your green apprentice first."

The dark warrior leaped into action attacking both Jedi with even greater fury than before. Even the two of them were no match for him. Fortunately they were not alone. The Tamaranians resumed their attacks which he continued to deflect. Jinx cast some of her bad luck spells on him and he tripped a few times, but quickly recovered.

Raven retreated from the battle while she continued to recover. She observed the dark warrior and realized that there would be no capturing him. They would have to destroy him. Focusing she attacked him with her dark energy, trying to seize his lightsaber from him.

She was unable to wrest it away from him, but the distraction was all the opportunity that Rahn needed. With a swift horizontal strike he sliced the Dark Jedi across the chest, cutting him in half. Just as quickly as it had begun the battle was over.

Gar collapsed, exhausted from the fight for his life. Raven raced to his side to check on him.

"We should get you to a doctor." He said breathlessly.

"I'm OK, really, I'm OK" she replied.

Rahn came to his side as well.

"What the hell was that?" he asked Rahn.

"That was Master Sifo-Dyas." He replied. "We thought that Count Dooku murdered him years ago, but now I learn that he turned to the Dark Side of the Force."

"Dude, he totally kicked our butts" Gar panted. "Are all Dark Side Masters that bad-ass?"

"Most of then are." Rahn replied. "Fortunately we have friends."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Back at the tower Vic ran some quick tests on Raven to make sure that she and the baby were unharmed, which they were.

"You should get some rest, little sis." He told her. "Go take a nap."

"OK, but I need some lunch first, I'm starving."

"Let me make it for you, what would you like?" Vic asked.

"Hang on" she whispered. Gar and Rahn were discussing the battle and how to improve his technique.

"Rae, would you mind if I spent the afternoon with Master Rahn?" Her green husband asked.

Much to his surprise she said "Sure, no problem. I'll be taking a nap anyway at Dr. Vic's orders."

As soon as they had left, she turned to Vic. "Make me something meaty. Do you have any steak?"

Vic snickered. "So that's why you gave him the afternoon off, huh?" Raven had been eating vegetarian for months now, in solidarity with her husband. "I knew you weren't a true believer." He teased her.

"Do you have any steak or not?" she hissed as her eyes gave a hint of red glow.

"Relax, there's plenty of steak in the fridge. It'll take a while to prepare and grill. Why don't you go up to your room and rest? I'll bring it up to you when it's ready. You want a baked potato with it?"

"Yes, with the works. And forget the veggies."

"You got it." he replied "Give me 20 minutes to prepare it."

"Thanks." She replied as she headed for their suite. As she entered she had an idea. She pulled out one of her spell books from her bookcase and began searching for a special spell, which she found after several minutes of searching. She was still studying it when Vic arrived with her meal. In addition to the main course he made her a shrimp cocktail and for dessert there was some of Grandma Stone's secret recipe chocolate cake.

"I know you've got your own drinks up here so I didn't bring you one." He set a place for her at the dinette table they had in their apartment, with a real place mat, cutlery, glassware, salt and pepper and a cloth napkin. He produced a candle and lit it for her.

"What? No steak sauce?"

He produced a bottle of Emeril's steak sauce, her favorite.

"I'll be back in an hour or so to pick up the dishes. The grass stain will never know you cheated on him." He snickered.

"Thanks Vic, you're the best."

"Nothing but the best for my little sister." He said as he walked out the door.

Raven walked to her mini fridge and poured herself a glass of cranberry-grape juice and walked back to the table and took her first bite of the huge Porterhouse steak Vic grilled for her. _Heaven on a fork!_ she thought to herself. _It's almost as good as sex. Plus steaks don't knock you up_ she giggled to herself.

"Sorry Gar!" she said out loud to her absent husband between bites. "But sometimes tofu just won't do.

She ate slowly savoring every bite, and eventually it was all gone. Feeling drowsy after the large meal she drifted into the bedroom, lay down on the bed and was soon asleep. As promised Cyborg showed up later to collect the dishes. He checked in on her and covered her with a blanket before he left.

 _ **-(-)-**_

And that's it for today.


	40. Chapter 40

Raven slowly woke up and stretched. She felt the fleece blanket on her, wondering how it got there. As she came to her senses she was aware that someone was lying next to her. She rolled over and saw two bright green eyes staring at her.

"Hi." she greeted him.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked with a warm smile.

She nodded.

"How was the steak?"

She bolted up. While Gar had never asked her to not eat meat, he had asked her to keep their apartment a "meat free" zone, since Victor always had enough meat in the larder to reconstruct a cow. She had agreed, somewhat reluctantly, but since he never complained when she did eat meat it seemed like an almost fair deal.

"How did you know?"

He chuckled. "You forgot to brush your teeth before you fell asleep. I have to hand it to Vic, whatever he sprayed in here neutralized the aromas in the air. Not a trace of your meal is left in the other room."

"I'm sorry; I just really craved a steak."

"Don't worry; I was going to tell you that you could eat meat in our apartment. But no keeping it here! I don't want to see any meat in our fridge." he said as he mockingly wagged his finger at her. He then kissed her chakra stone.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm cool with it. Anyway, we have some real problems. Star told me that Dick is falling apart because we're going to leave."

"Bird boy is having a fit because of us?" she asked as she stifled a laugh. "Since when is he so sentimental?"

"You got me. I gotta run. Rahn is going to teach me about the more subtle uses of the Force, whatever that is." He kissed her and got up. "See you at dinner. Should I tell Vic you want another steak for dinner?"

She threw her pillow at him. "Just be glad my pregnancy cravings are for normal food and that I'm not sending you out on wild goose chases for mustard flavored ice cream."

Gar winced. "Poor Dick. She made him look everywhere for that. Lucky for him he found a gelato shop that was willing to make it for him. See ya".

As the apartment door slid shut Raven got up and headed for the bathroom. After washing the sleep out of her face and brushing her hair she went to her closet. In it she found one of her old blue hooded capes and put it on. She turned to the mirror and looked at her face. She started concentrating and her eyes began to glow red. Then they split into two pairs. She grinned, exposing her now serrated teeth. She then walked to her desk and picked up the spell book she was reading earlier.

 _I'm ready now._

 _ **-(-)-**_

Palpatine was sitting on his high tech throne with Darth Vader at his side. He had spent the entire afternoon making deals with groups and factions that he did not wish to confront directly for one reason or another. He had just made a deal with the Hutts to leave them alone if they never offered safe harbor to any rebel fighters. It was a deal he was not pleased to make. For one thing, he despised all non-humans, and especially non humanoids. He passed a decree banning non humans from Imperial military service, saying that a uniform military was a strong military. But he especially hated the Hutts, being the disgusting worms that they were. He had his non human staff executed shortly after becoming Emperor, much to their surprise. The only area where he tolerated non humans was in his Dark Jedi Corps. And even then they had to be humanoids that were indistinguishable from true humans. No green skinned Rodians would be in his service.

Now that Ambassador Zekko the Hutt had slithered out of the throne room Palpatine felt that he could recover from the Hutt's stench. As he began to relax he saw a small red sphere, no larger than a marble form before him. Vader noticed it as well and drew his lightsaber. The Red guards in the chamber drew their pikes towards the sphere which grew until it was the size of a beach ball, hovering just feet in front of Palpatine.

"Put your lightsaber away Lord Vader. I have seen this type of sphere before. Someone is trying to contact me from another dimension."

As he spoke the sphere began to morph and change color. It then took on the form of a hooded face, its skin pale and gray, with four glowing red eyes. Once the transformation was complete it began to speak in a deep otherworldly voice.

"Emperor Palpatine, I presume." The face spoke.

"You are correct, Princess Raven, daughter of Trigon" he replied. "Or should I say 'Queen Raven'?"

Raven had never told anyone, not even Gar, that she was Royalty in the dark realm of the demons. It was not something that she was proud of. But it was the painful truth.

"Titles are of no importance to me, Palpatine." She answered. "But enough with the pleasantries, we have important matters to discuss."

"We do?" asked Palpatine in a malevolent voice "What might they be?"

"One of your agents infiltrated my realm and made an assassination attempt against me." She said in her deep masculine voice, while baring her serrated teeth.

"A most unfortunate event your highness." Palpatine replied. "I will make sure that the agent is punished upon his return to my realm."

"That won't be necessary as he was destroyed." She answered back. "Do not send any more, as they will meet the same fate."

Palpatine stared at her. She could see that he did not take kindly to threats of any kind and the harsh look on his face betrayed that.

"Let me propose an arrangement ,Princess, one that will avoid any further unpleasantries between us."

"Speak!" she ordered. "I will entertain your offer."

"Give me the one called Qu Rahn and I will leave you and your green mate unharmed, demoness." He offered.

"I see Slade had informed you of my private life." She countered. "But Rahn is not mine to trade."

"Then make him yours to trade!" he snarled. "I will be sending Lord Vader to collect him. It would be unwise for you to be empty handed when he arrives."

"If you think that I can be intimidated, you are mistaken Palpatine." she growled back at him.

"No." he replied "It is you who are mistaken … about a great many things. Your father was no threat to me and neither are you ... little girl."

"We shall see about that." Raven answered before her image disappeared in a cloud of vapor as the sphere dissolved.

 _ **-(-)-**_

After the magical connection was severed Raven returned to her normal form. She pondered what she had just experienced. Palpatine was every bit as evil as the Jedi had told her he was. She also realized that her mission had been an utter failure. At least she knew that Vader was coming, instead of him showing up as a surprise.

She realized that she would have to share the news, the bad news, with the team. She picked up her communicator and pressed that alarm button as she ran off to the common room. As she ran, fear and worry consumed her. The realization that they would probably be unable to stop Vader engulfed her. He would probably show up with a whole fleet of Star Destroyers like the one Ventress had. Hopefully Rahn might have some ideas. She felt her child move in her womb and she began to cry, losing hope that they would ever be able to lead a normal life. As she entered the common room everyone was already there, including Rahn.

Starfire noticed that she had been crying "Raven, why are you crying? What has happened? Why did you sound the alarm?"

After wiping away her tears and regaining her composure, Raven answered.

"I'm afraid that I just did something very foolish."

"What did you do?" Nightwing asked, with a tone of deep concern in his voice.

"I contacted Palpatine."

"What!?" Rahn exclaimed "How?"

"I used some dark magic."

"So what happened?" Gar asked.

"Short story: I told him to leave us alone and he told me to go pound sand."

"And the long version?" Blackfire asked.

"He said that if we turned Rahn over to him he would let us be. Of course I told him that wasn't possible. He then said that he's sending Darth Vader to retrieve him and that we had better have Rahn ready or else."

"Not again!" moaned Victor "We were barely able to fend off Ventress from Earth and we had the Green Lantern Corps helping us."

Rahn spoke up. "Vader will be far deadlier than Ventress. There is no way your world will be able to defend itself from him. Unlike Ventress he will have an entire fleet at his disposal. Palpatine never makes the same mistake twice."

"How much deadlier than Ventress?" Jinx asked.

"Unlike Ventress or Sifo-Dyas he is not a Dark Jedi. He is a Sith Lord. His powers eclipse theirs. It is said that no one is stronger in the Force than him, not even the Emperor himself." Rahn replied.

"So what do we do?" Raven asked, concealing the trembling in her voice.

"You, Gar and I must leave. Our presence here endangers Earth." Rahn commanded.

"And where do you propose we run to?" she asked.

"Back to my dimension. I know where we can find a safe harbor there."

"Really, where?" Raven asked "I thought Palpatine controlled the whole Galaxy."

"Not all of it. We will seek refuge with the Chiss Ascendancy."

"Who?" Nightwing asked.

"The Chiss. A fierce warrior humanoid race. They were never affiliated with the Republic and thus are not part of the Empire now. Palpatine knows better than to confront them."

"So we spend the rest of our lives in exile with the Chiss?" Raven complained. "Forgive me for not being excited."

"For now it's our only option. I have a trans-dimensional drive we can adapt to the Jedi Arrow. But we must hurry as time is not on our side. We want to return to the Empire before Vader arrives here."

Vic dropped his head and held it with his hands. "Not again, this can't be happening again." He moaned.

"Raven, contact Palpatine again. Tell him you are bringing me to him." Rahn interrupted. "That will buy us some time. Also, can you contact Yoda as well? We can ask him for some help."

"Yes I can." She replied.

"Good. Also, I have an idea. I would like to discuss your magical abilities. They might serve us."

"Sure, I can discuss them now." She motioned him to follow her to a conference room.

"I'll get that trans-dimensional drive hooked up to the Arrow." Victor said as he left the common room with Blackfire.

The remaining Titans stood still, remaining silent.

Starfire broke the silence. "Should we go with them?" she asked.

"I don't know." Nightwing replied. "I'm not ordering anyone to go, but if anyone wishes to go I won't stop you." 

_**-(-)-**_

As Palpatine had expected a red sphere once again appeared before him, bearing Raven's demonic face.

"I have captured Rahn, Palpatine."

"Good, gooood!" Palpatine replied.

"But I will bring him to you. I do not want your agents to enter my realm."

"Certainly Princess. That would be most satisfactory. Lord Vader will provide you with the coordinates of where and when to meet."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't." he replied. "But you do know that if you try to trick me that you will regret it."

"Enough with the threats. Do you want Rahn or not?"

"You know what I want, Princess."


	41. Chapter 41

The Titans were meeting in the common room, deciding who would go and who would stay behind. The Graysons, much to everyone's surprise, had decided to go and would take Elizabeth with them. Victor and Blackfire decided to go as well. Victor had completed his first prototype exo suit and it had passed its field trials successfully. That left the 3 newbies: Jinx, Kid Flash and Hotspot. Since crime was so slow at the time Nightwing had decided that only one other addition was needed. He contacted Batman and asked if Terra could come back, to which the Dark Night agreed. After some deliberation he decided to let the new team choose its leader. They quickly chose Jinx to be the new and hopefully temporary leader of the Titans.

Gar, Rahn and Victor were busy preparing the Jedi Arrow for the voyage, loading it with supplies and running the gamut of pre-flight diagnostics. Meanwhile Raven had contacted Master Yoda and delivered Rahn's message to him and received a reply to deliver to Rahn as well. They were ready to depart.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The send off was emotional for everyone. Jinx hugged and kissed everyone, wondering if they would ever see each other again. Hot Spot and Wally were more subdued, limiting their displays of affection to handshakes and hugs.

Terra was the last to say goodbye. She hugged and kissed both the Graysons and the Stones first. Then she turned to Gar and hugged him tightly.

"Stay safe, green bean." She whispered to him "And keep Raven and the baby safe too."

"I will." He replied, hugging her back.

She then faced Raven and hugged her.

"Be safe, and please bring him back safe and sound." Terra said as she teared up.

"Don't I always?" Raven replied, with a small smile of her face. "Take care, Terra, and don't worry."

After Raven and Terra released each other Gar took Raven's hand and led her into the Arrow, which two minutes later was airborne and quickly leaving the atmosphere. Rahn and Gar were at the helm, guiding the ship away from Earth.

"I guess we'll find out if Vic installed that new drive correctly." Gar said absentmindedly as he spooled up the trans-dimensional drive. "Ready ,Rahn?"

"Ready!" He replied.

Gar flipped a switch and announced over the ship's PA "OK, we're going to make the jump. It might be bumpy, so be ready."

He then flipped off the PA and pulled back on a lever. A strange hum was heard throughout the ship. A large wormhole opened in front of them and Gar pulled on the sub-light drive throttle and the ship lurched into the wormhole.

The ride was indeed bumpy but was mercifully short. In less than 30 seconds they emerged from the wormhole.

Vic held his hand in front of his face, slowly turning it as he stared in disbelief. "Man, this is so weird. Now I understand what Ahsoka meant when she said things looked weird in our universe". The others took in their surroundings, which were still familiar yet now felt foreign. A large bump was felt and the PA came to life once again with Gar's voice.

"We have docked with the Tantive-4. Raven, prepare the decoys."

Raven stood up and retrieved several vials of blood from a bag. She opened each one and spilled its contents on the floor, about 3 feet apart from each other. She pulled an ancient book out of the pouch as well, and reading from it she began to chant a strange spell in Azarathian. The spilled blood began to grow, at first as shapeless blobs but then began to take shape. After less than a minute the Titans were facing full sized, organic but lifeless replicas of themselves.

"OK, this is way creepy." Gar broke the silence as he picked up his lifeless doppelganger and strapped it into a chair. The others followed suit and soon the copies were all strapped in.

"Alright, everyone, off to the Tantive." Rahn ordered. As they entered the Tantive-4 they were welcomed by Bail Organa, who greeted Rahn and Gar first.

"It's always good to see a Jedi, even better to see two." He said as he shook their hands.

"I'm Master Qu Rahn, and this is.."

"Garfield Logan, Jedi Knight." Organa completed his sentence. "Master Yoda has told me much about the two of you. So Garfield, would you introduce me to your friends?"

Gar proceeded to introduce the Titans to Senator Organa, starting with Raven.

"I'm honored to meet you Mrs. Logan. Master Yoda tells me that you are a formidable warrior in your own right. Also, no one that I know of has ever convinced Master Yoda to allow a Jedi to have a spouse."

Raven smiled back at him. "Actually, Gar threatened to quit. So the credit is really his."

Victor interrupted "OK folks, the decoy is set. We need to move away."

Senator Organa nodded to Captain Antilles, who ordered the crew to break the dockage link between the two ships. As they pulled away the Titans could see the Arrow drift away to a safe distance. Victor pulled a communicator out and pressed a button. There was a small explosion on the Arrow followed by a larger one that broke the ship up. Vic had rigged a power conduit over load that ignited a fuel tank. It would look like a genuine accident and was mild enough to leave most of the "corpses" intact enough to identify. They were close enough to the rendezvous point that Vader's ships would have detected the explosion.

"Captain Antilles, take us back to Alderaan." Senator Organa commanded.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Lord Vader, we have detected an explosion near the wormhole." Ensign Piett informed his Sith master aboard his flagship the Avenger.

"Plot a course to the site of the explosion. Are there any ships in the vicinity of the explosion?" Vader replied.

"It's difficult to determine, My Lord. There is too much interference from a nearby neutron star."

The Avenger and its escorts arrived at the location where the Jedi Arrow had been destroyed. As they arrived they detected the debris and were able to verify that it was indeed the wreckage of Jarvik Katarra's old ship. Vader stared into the void, as he paced across his bridge. He then turned to an officer.

"I want every piece of wreckage collected and examined. Bring any bodies found to the infirmary." He ordered.

The recovery of the wreckage took several days to accomplish. Vader had his engineers reassemble the pieces of the Arrow in one of the hangar bays, which was a painstaking task. Several bodies were found floating in the void, and they were able to identify Rahn's corpse as well as the demoness, who was identified as pregnant. They were only able to recover parts of the changeling Jedi's remains and found other corpses they could not identify, including a mixed race humanoid infant of a species they could not identify. Eventually engineering had a report for him. One of the fuel tanks had exploded, triggered by a faulty power conduit.

It all seemed too convenient to Vader, a ruse. Yet he had the corpses. But something in the force told him that this wasn't what it appeared to be. He turned to his XO and ordered the battle group to return to Coruscant. He would have the Empire's best scientists review the wreckage and the bodies.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The Tantive-4 had just landed on Alderaan. During the short passage they visited with Senator Organa and learned that he was also a member of the Alderanian royal family and in fact was the Prince consort, and they would be guests in the Royal Palace. Organa also told them that there were a few hundred Azarathians living on Alderaan and that they had been summoned to meet the ship when it arrived. They had not been told that it was Raven they would be meeting.

As they disembarked from the Tantive-4, The Titans were introduced to the local dignitaries first, including other members of the royal family, including his wife Queen Breha. After that they were led into the palace, to a large ballroom, were the Azarathians were waiting. Many were curious as to whom they would be meeting and there was a considerable amount of chatter going on in the room. Raven was wearing her white cape and hood over a white maternity outfit that consisted of slacks, a turtle neck shirt and her standard white boots. She had her hood up and her cape was wrapped around her, concealing her pregnant figure. As the Titans entered the room the chatter ceased and all eyes were focused on them. Raven lowered her hood and as she did that an elderly woman shouted her name. Raven located the voice in the crowd and carefully scrutinized her face.

"Gayla?" she called out as she ran to the woman. "Is it you?"

"Raven, it is you! Thanks be to Azar! We were told that you perished when Trigon turned you into the portal." The old woman said as she hugged the long lost girl.

Gayla immediately released Raven and without asking parted her cape, revealing her enlarged belly. "My dear!" she said in awe "You are with child! This is wonderful! The prophesy has come true." She searched the Titans, as if looking for someone, and ran straight to Gar. "You are the father!" She saw his belt. "And a Jedi too, I see." She turned back to Raven, who looked confused.

"What prophesy? I never heard of any such prophesy."

"After you left for Earth, Azar's successor had a vision. She saw that you defeated Trigon and married a green warrior and that you had many children with him." Gayla turned to the crowd, who were once again a sea of chatter. "Everyone listen! Raven has returned to us and has fulfilled the prophesy!"

The crowd erupted into loud cheers and thronged around Raven and Gar, many of them rubbing Raven's belly as if it were a holy relic. Senator Organa finally intervened.

"Friends! You will have more time to visit with Raven and her family, but she has just completed a long journey and requires rest. I promise you will see her again. You may stay tonight as my guests. The Palace staff will see you to your quarters and will provide you with meals."

The crowd parted, realizing that what he said was true, and retreated.

"Gayla!" Raven called to her old nursemaid "Please, stay with me." Starfire could see the joy in Raven's eyes, the happiness in finding her long lost knorfka.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Garfield stood on the castle balcony, taking in the view. It was most beautiful and serene. The capital city, named Aldera, was located on an island in the middle of a lake. It was a most idyllic place, so why did he feel such a terrible premonition? He searched the Force for an answer, but found none. A hand touched his elbow, and he knew who it was before he turned around.

"Hey babe." He greeted her forlornly.

"I sense it too." She answered. "Something terrible is going to happen here." Gayla was with her, and she too looked somber.

"This world is doomed. Our Priests and Priestesses have foreseen its demise."

"What do you mean?" Garfield asked. "How do you know this?"

Gayla looked at the green man "It has been foretold in a prophesy, much as you were."

"And what does that prophesy say?" Raven queried her old nursemaid. "How will this world die?" Her tone was uneasy, as if afraid of what the answer might be.

"Another world will appear in the sky, and it will smash Alderaan" Gayla said quietly.

"Have you told the Senator?"

"Yes, but he does not believe us. He says that there are no planetary bodies nearby that could fulfill the prophesy." She said bitterly, before taking Raven's hands.

"My child, we are leaving. We don't know when the calamity will happen, it might not be for years, but we no longer feel safe here."

"Where will you go?" Raven asked.

"There is another Azarathian community on Naboo. It is much larger than ours."

She looked at Raven with pleading eyes.

"Please my child, you must also leave, you are not safe here."

"Is Alderaan's destruction imminent?" Raven asked with a tremor in her voice.

"We don't know. But that's not why you must leave. You have been betrayed."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Darth Vader threw the datapad with the reports down on the table. There was no sign of sabotage on the Jedi Arrow and the Empire's best pathologists said that the remains found were real. And yet a report had come in saying that they were alive on Alderaan. The demoness was indeed powerful if she could pull off such a deception. It had been only by luck that an Azarathian operative had seen them and informed the Empire. The informant had unfortunately vanished without a trace, which meant that he had been discovered. The Terrans would no doubt already be on the move. But to where?

One thing was certain, Rahn was with them. And that meant one thing. He would search for the Valley of the Jedi. And they would follow him, because the Changeling Jedi would go with him. There was no doubt of that.

The Changeling Jedi. He was the demoness's mate. That would make things difficult since both were very powerful.

If only he could be turned to the Dark Side of the Force. Everyone had a weakness. And Vader knew that he would find what the green Jedi feared the most.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"We are going to Hoth" Rahn explained to the others. "There is an ancient base, kept by rebels, where we can hide. I also hope to find some clues left behind by the ancient Jedi Lord Hoth regarding the location of the Valley of the Jedi."

"Why is this Valley of the Jedi so important to you?" Starfire asked.

"The souls of hundreds of Jedi were trapped there over one thousand years ago. It's the biggest Force nexus in the Galaxy. If the Emperor finds it he will become invincible and immortal. We can't allow that to happen."

Raven took her husband's hand and whispered "I have a bad feeling about this."


	42. Chapter 42

The Titans clandestinely boarded the converted cargo freighter for their trip to the Hoth system, all wearing disguises in case there were more informers on Alderaan who would be ready to snitch on them. Captain Antilles explained that this mode of transport would be the perfect way to travel undetected. Palpatine had decreed forced relocations of individuals from crowded worlds to empty ones. A million people per hour were being relocated from Coruscant alone. Millions of cargo freighters had been converted into rudimentary space ferries. It would be impossible to monitor them all. Since many were rickety and poorly maintained, dozens of ferries were lost to accidents every day. This was unfortunate for those who were victims of the circumstance, but was a golden opportunity for the Titans.

Rahn loaded tons of debris and a small hypermatter bomb into their transport. While in hyperspace they would dump it and the bomb would explode, leaving a signature for the imperial space guard to find. Their vessel would be added to the tally of clunkers that failed in space. They would then be able to fly to Hoth without the guard wondering what had happened to their ship.

 _ **-(-)-**_

They arrived at Hoth on schedule. Beast Boy looked down at the frozen world below and shuddered.

"Red Star would like it here. It looks like his kind of place" He weakly attempted to joke.

"Maybe, but from what I just read Hoth makes Siberia look like Cancun." Raven replied "And you still haven't told me if you are going with Rahn on his hare brained search for the Valley of the Jedi, which by the way no one believes really exists, except for Rahn and Yoda."

He shook his head.

"I don't know. I don't know if it exists either."

He then raised his voice.

"But we have a bigger problem." He addressed the Titans. "How do we get home? And without Palpatine noticing that we're leaving?"

"And how do we keep him from eventually sending another expedition to Earth to search for us?" Raven added.

Rahn spoke up. "Yoda has a few inter-dimensional drives hidden away. We would have to use it far outside of Imperial Space so that the wormhole would remain undetected. But as for your second question, I have no answer. It is most unfortunate that our deception failed."

There was a beep from the communications panel. Apparently the abandoned base they wished to use was not unoccupied. The message warned in explicit terms that unless they turned around they would be shot down.

"Smugglers?" Starfire asked.

Rahn was running the message through a decryption filter he had installed on the console. After a moment he smiled.

"No, they friendly." he said as he replied with an encrypted message of his own, which was also buried inside a conventional reply.

"Prepare to land." He announced. "And bundle up … it's cold on Hoth."

Gar sighed as the giant snowball named after an ancient Jedi master grew larger from his viewport.

 _ **-(-)-**_

It was daytime when the transport landed on the icy surface. Garfield grimaced as he surveyed the icy landscape, remembering the Titan's Siberian and North Pole missions. He hated the cold with a passion and was already looking forward to their departure. They landed next to the entrance to a large cavern. It was extremely well hidden and there were no external signs of its location or that it was occupied. As they disembarked he saw several large payload droids approach the ship. He watched them lift the small cargo ship using repulsor lifts before guiding it into the cavern, effectively hiding it from any prying eyes in orbit. Another droid which appeared to be a snow machine covered their landing spot with a fresh layer of snow, removing any trace of the ship's former presence.

The Titans were wearing standard Alderaanean polar wear, which was adequate on Hoth during daylight hours. Garfield still shivered and thought about morphing into a polar bear. He realized that he would be the only green object on the planet's surface, easily observed from orbit and quickly discarded the idea.

"Are you OK?" He asked his pregnant wife.

"If you're asking me if I'm enduring the cold, then the answer is yes. But I can't wait to get inside." Raven replied.

As the droids finished hauling the transport into the cavern a small white clad figure emerged from the cave. It waved at them, motioning them to enter the cave, which they were more than happy to do. Once inside they followed the figure past some sliding doors into an icy hallway, which wasn't much warmer than outside. Once the doors closed the figured lowered its hood.

"Ahsoka!" Raven exclaimed with a big smile on her face. "Rahn, why didn't you tell us?"

The young Jedi Knight ran up to Raven and hugged her, before suddenly releasing her.

"Raven, are you…."

"Yes, Garfield and I are going to have a baby." She announced; the pride obvious in her voice. She could see that Ahsoka was thrilled with the news, as her large Togrutan eyes became even bigger.

"Come, there are rooms on the base that aren't below freezing temperature. We can't have someone in your condition standing around in this ice box."

Raven wanted to correct Ahsoka about her condition, just to remind her that just because she was pregnant that didn't mean she was some kind of weakling. However, if her "condition" would get her and Gar the warmest room in the house she wouldn't object.

Ahsoka then greeted Garfield with a hug and kiss.

"How's my favorite green Jedi Knight?" she teased him.

"I thought Sleedo was your favorite green Jedi." He joked back at her.

Ahsoka's demeanor instantly changed and Raven felt a wave of sorrow emanate from the orange skinned Jedi. "Sleedo's dead. He was ambushed by a traitor, Master Sifo-Dyas."

Gar's expression turned dark. "If it's any consolation, Rahn and I defeated him, with help from the Titans. He was one mean son of a bitch."

"Did you capture him?"

"No, we couldn't. Rahn was forced to slay him." He replied somberly. While Jedi were allowed to take a life when necessary, Garfield was still extremely uncomfortable with doing that. He had been a Titan for a long time and the Titan's code was still the cornerstone of his own code of ethics.

Ahsoka greeted the others and led them deep into the cavern, past several more sets of sliding doors into the habitat section, which was kept at a "balmy" +10 degrees Celsius. She personally led Raven and Gar to their room, where they shed their polar outerwear. Raven was wearing a full body leotard, which highlighted her pregnant figure, which Ahsoka stared at with awe.

"If you want to touch my bump, it's OK." she told the young Jedi. Ahsoka placed her palm on Raven's swollen mid section and smiled. "You look wonderful, Raven"

"I keep telling her that, but she won't believe me." Gar snorted.

Ahsoka laughed. "Are you hungry? Its dinner time."

"I'm always hungry." Gar replied. Raven gave him the 'look'. "But I'll have just one helping" he sighed. She wasn't going to let him get fat. _Why did Starfire have to tell them about my weight problem in the future._

Ahsoka lead them to the mess hall, where it was "help yourself" buffet style and over 100 rebel soldiers were busy serving themselves and eating a food that looked very familiar.

Gar's eyes popped wide open. "Pizza! You have pizza!" he exclaimed.

Ahsoka chucked. "Nuvuti and Sleedo liked it so much back in Jump City that they found substitute ingredients in our Galaxy. Finding a substitute for tomatoes proved tricky, but they found one. Don't let the purple sauce throw you off, it's actually pretty good. It's become one of the favorite menu items here."

Gar took a slice from a tray that was labeled "vegetarian" and lifted it to his mouth, carefully taking a bite. He chewed it carefully and swallowed it.

"Not bad! I like it. Better than the weird food they gave us on Alderaan, and vegetarian too. They actually served me a steak there, a Bantha steak. Gross."

Ahsoka's mouth watered. Bantha steaks were a rare treat on Hoth.

 _ **-(-)-**_

I'm going to stick with shorter chapters on this story.

Next time: Gar and Rahn go exploring on Hoth.


	43. Chapter 43

As Garfield gave a thumbs up for the alien pizza, the other Titans arrived in the dining hall. They too had shed their outerwear. Victor and Blackfire entered last, hand in hand. Ahsoka stared at Victor with a puzzled look on her face.

"Cyborg?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah it's me. But now I'm just Victor Stone. No more cybernetic implants."

"Who would have thought that now I have more electronics on me than my own hubby." Blackfire remarked.

Ahsoka's eyes popped wide open. "You're married? I have been away too long!"

There was a great deal of catching up to do. Starfire had a baby, Raven was pregnant and now Cyborg was no longer bionic and was married to Blackfire. Ahsoka grabbed a plate, piled it up with pizza and joined her friends for dinner.

Raven poured herself a dark fizzy drink from a pitcher. She sniffed it cautiously before turning her gaze to Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka, what is this?"

"Togrutan root beer?" she smiled sheepishly as Rahn joined them at the table. Gar sampled some of the strange brew, and after almost spitting it out he loudly oncluded that it was indeed not root beer by any stretch of the imagination.

Rahn laughed at Gar's culinary assessment. "Ahsoka has found a very interesting cavern under the base. She has an expedition down there as we speak." Rahn shared between bites of alien pizza. "Not bad Ahsoka, better than some of the stuff we had on Earth."

"Little Caesar's doesn't count. Even Rae makes better pizza than they do. Ow!" Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, where Raven had given him a friendly dark energy 'slap'. "You still have a mean streak in you, Raven." He complained before redirecting his attention back to Rahn.

"What's so special about that cave?"

Rahn held up his hand while scarfing down his last piece of pizza, which he washed down with some bluish milk like drink.

"Nuvuti has been exploring it for weeks and we think that Lord Hoth might have set up base down there."

"Who?"

"An ancient Jedi."

"Would you mind telling us what this place is that you and Yoda are so obsessed with finding?" Raven asked in her old monotone voice, which Rahn had learned she used when she was feeling cross.

"It was the site of the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, which was fought over 1000 years ago between the Jedi and the Sith. Over a 100 Jedi spirits were trapped there by a thought bomb planted by the Sith. Palpatine wants to find it to harness their captive force power. We want to set them free."

"Let me guess." Nightwing interrupted. "It's not in the cavern."

"No, it's not. But if Lord Hoth was here, we might find a clue in the cavern that will lead us to it."

"And how big is this cavern?" Victor asked.

"We're not sure, but we think it's over 300 square kilometers." Nuvuti answered as she joined them at the table.

"Nuvuti!" Gar leaped to his feet and hugged her. She kissed him and hugged him back. "It's great to see you."

"You too Gar! Where's Raven?" she asked just before spotting her at the other end of the table. Nuvuti ran to Raven, her arms spread wide. As Raven stood to greet her Nuvuti stopped dead in her tracks. Raven raised her hand to shush her.

"Yes, I'm pregnant, 5 months in."

Nuvutu stared dumfounded before snapping back.

"That's great!"

"OK, Padawan, you can celebrate your reunion later. What did you find in the cave?" Rahn asked.

"Forgive me Master Rahn, I did not see you."

"Never mind, just report your findings."

"Yes sir. We found the remains of a camp site. It might be worthwhile to excavate the site. Also we encountered 3 Wampa monsters, which I scared away using the force."

"Three? That's quite a find. They're almost extinct." He replied. "Ahsoka, prepare an expedition for tomorrow. You, Gar, Nuvuti and I will be the team. Sorry Titans, but this is Jedi business."

Raven crossed her arms. "And who is supposed to keep Gar out of trouble if I don't come along?"

Rahn smiled "Raven don't you think that a woman in your cond…." He was unable to complete his sentence as his mouth was covered in Raven's obsidian light. He used the force to push it away.

"If it matters to you, it's even colder down there than here. This planet has no geothermal activity at all."

"I'll live." she replied curtly as Ahsoka grinned.

Rahn raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. We'll leave after breakfast. And now I'll take my leave and allow you some time to catch up."

Ahsoka and Nuvuti sat down on either side of Raven's chair and were joined by the Tamaranians. Soon "the girl talk" as Starfire once called it was in full swing as the two female Jedi fussed over Elizabeth Grayson and Raven's swollen midsection. Gar decided that another slice of pizza wouldn't hurt him and he slinked over to the serving area, preparing to snatch another slice while Raven wasn't looking. He waited for her to be turned away and made his move.

"Put it back, Gar." she droned without even turning around.

Gar reluctantly put the slice back on the tray.

" _That's what I get for marrying a witch"_ he grumbled very quietly.

 _It's for your own good Gar, and you know very well that I'm a demoness, not a witch._ Her voice popped into his head.

He ran after Rahn, who had just left the room moments before. Rahn had already put quite a bit of distance between himself and the mess hall, and Gar had to use the force to locate him. After running around half the base he finally caught up with him.

"Rahn, would you teach me how to use the Force to block mind readers?"

"You mean how to block your wife from reading your mind?"

Gar grinned. "Well, since you mention it, yeah, it could come in handing for that."

Rahn did something he rarely did: he smiled.

"Sure, I'll teach you."

 _ **-(-)-**_

The alarm clock chimed softly as 6:00 AM arrived. Gar hit the snooze button and snuggled up behind Raven, two spoons in a drawer style while he caressed her belly and their unborn child it protected. The room was ice cold and neither one was eager to get up. Raven was beginning to regret demanding that she be allowed to come along spelunking with the Jedi. It was so cold in the room that Gar didn't even ask Raven if she wanted to make love the night before, and she didn't drop any hints either. Their thermal underwear was not coming off, their libidos be damned.

Gar got up first, shivering as he psyched himself to strip and jump into the shower. "Warm" showers were rationed to 5 minutes each, and he was debating whether to skip it altogether.

"If you don't shower, I'm not sleeping with you tonight, Mr. Stinky." Raven called from under the bed covers.

Garfield decided to try the new mind trick Rahn just taught him.

 _You're mean._

 _No I'm not_ came back the reply _But keep practicing. It was actually hard to read your mind this time._ He could have sworn he heard her giggle under the covers.

He summoned the Force again, this time focusing even more.

 _You bet your ass I will._

 _Now why would I do that? And if it makes you feel better, your block was even stronger this time._

Gar knew when to give up, and started the shower. Its 5 minute countdown running he entered the stall, and not without a yelp. The Rebel Alliances definition of 'warm' was more like his definition of 'cold'. The things he would do for Raven.

Stubbornly, he summoned the Force one more time.

 _The things I do out of love for you!_

This time there was no response.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The team entered the icy tunnel, which lead downward from the hangar bay though a small opening. At first the cave was narrow and short on headroom, definitely not a place for the claustrophobic, which Raven was. She summoned all of her mental discipline to fight off the phobia, but she still found herself tightly clutching Gar's gloved hand as they made the initial descent which was almost a kilometer long. As the journey continued Raven noticed that she was starting to sweat even though she was cold. She figured that if Starfire had come along she would be making snow angels on the ground and be giggling. Raven often found Star's endless source of cheerfulness to be irritating, but now she wished she could be more like her friend.

Just as Raven thought she was at the end of her rope the narrow tunnel ended and they came into a huge cavern, the size of a small stadium. There were artificial lights installed and she thought they made the "cathedral" shimmer like a Christmas tree. There were a few soldiers sitting in the middle, resting after returning from the bowels of the cave. They had found nothing of interest, including no Wampa monsters.

"We have 5 more kilometers to go until we reach the campsite." Nuvuti informed the team as she led them to a fissure in the rock. Raven looked at the small passage with renewed apprehension.

"How long is this one, Ahsoka?" she asked.

"It's a couple of kilometers. If you're getting tired you can stay here and wait for us to come back. And don't worry about Garfield; I'll keep him out of trouble."

Raven felt her cheeks turn red. She had her pride after all. She wasn't sure which was worse, being thought of as a weakling or a coward. And why was she afraid of the caves? She could always teleport herself and the others back to the surface in the case of an emergency. So why was she having this irrational fear?

"I'm OK, let's get going." She replied, once again taking Gar's hand into a vise like grip.

"You OK, Rave?" He whispered to her. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing. Just something stupid. I'll tell you when we get back."

"You sure? You're sweating like crazy." He asked her.

"Just forget it, the sooner we get to the dig, the better."

Garfield shrugged. "Whatever you say."

He then summoned the Force, to use another trick Rahn taught him yesterday. Concentrating he projected happy thoughts and feelings into Raven, and immediately he felt her relax. He smiled a victorious grin. The trek through the fissure went without incident.


	44. Chapter 44

After a good 2 hour trek the team reached the "camp site", which to Raven looked no different from the rest of the caves they had walked through, one icy tunnel looked like all the others. The ground was smooth and hard and the walls were encased in ancient ice. That section of the cave wasn't very large; nothing like the 'cathedral' they had seen earlier. It almost had a cozy feel ot it, except for claustrophobics like Raven.

"How far underground are we?" she asked no one in particular.

"Almost a kilometer." Nuvuti replied.

Gar scrunched his eyebrows while inhaling a deep breath and exhaling.

"Dude, this place feels strange, what is it?"

"There were once many Jedi here, but that's not what you're feeling Garfield. There is a holocron in this room." Rahn informed his team.

"Are you sure Master?" Ahsoka asked. "It feels so weak, almost like it's something else."

Rahn dropped his backpack on the ground and removed some small digging tools from it: a small pick and spade. "It's been down here for a thousand years."

Rahn felt around with the Force and marked a spot with the pick. "It's here, about two meters under the surface."

Raven stepped forward. "Allow me." She smiled as she spread her arms.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Her voice echoed through the cavern as a spade of black energy formed and began to dig for the hidden Jedi treasure.

"What exactly is a holocron?" she asked as her magic shovel continued to slowly carefully dig a hole.

"It's a holographic chronicle of Jedi Knowledge. They use a crystal lattice technology that is activated by the Force. This is a great find, as it might contain information that would lead us to the Valley of the Jedi." Ahsoka answered as she watched Raven's spade dig deeper into the ground.

"That's very impressive Raven; you almost make me believe in magic." The Togrutan remarked.

"It is magic. You Jedi shouldn't be so close minded." She retorted in a slightly cross tone.

Ahsoka smiled. "Master Yoda says that all forms of magic are just manifestations of the Force."

"Yeah, and he also thought Skywalker and Padme were just friends". Raven blurted out, immediately recognizing her faux pas by the look on Ahsoka's face, which betrayed the hurt she felt upon hearing Raven's joke.

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka, I forgot that you were very close to him. I'll let Gar crack the jokes from now on. They're never funny, but at least he never hurts anyone's feelings." Raven's face expressed the remorse she was feeling.

"Whadya mean I'm not funny? I'm hilarious!" Beast Boy snarked, drawing the attention away from his clearly embarrassed wife.

As Raven smiled gratefully at her green goofball her shovel stopped digging. With a gesture the shovel vanished and Rahn hopped into the hole with his implements to perform the final extraction of the artifact. He emerged a few minutes later from the hole. Unfortunately the box containing the holocron had not survived the passage of time. It was a simple wooden box and it already partially disintegrated centuries before, exposing the delicate holocron which was damaged.

"This is most unfortunate." He said somberly. "But we might be able to salvage something from it."

Garfield peered down into the pit. "I feel something else down there. Rae, would you mind digging some more?"

With a wave of her hand the spade reappeared and resumed digging slowly, and after going down another meter it hit a large metal box. Gar, Ahsoka and Nuvuti used the force to lift it carefully from the pit, depositing it in front of Rahn. He examined it carefully and saw that it had a lock that could only be opened using the Force and could not be pried open. Tampering with the lock would destroy the box's contents, so he proceeded carefully. It took him over an hour to defeat the lock, which in the end yielded to an ancient Jedi Nursery rhyme that was used to teach younglings how to levitate small objects.

Rahn carefully opened the box and reached into it. When his hand came back out it was holding what Gar thought was the most beautiful lightsaber he had ever seen.

"It's full of ancient lighsabers." Rahn informed the group. "They probably belonged to fallen Jedi and Hoth hid them here along with the Holocron. He just never made it back to retrieve them."

Rahn handed the lightsaber to Garfield, who attempted to ignite it, but nothing happened. The energy cell had been dead for centuries.

"Try it with a fresh cell." Ahsoka suggested, handing Gar one of her spare energy cells.

To Gar's surprise the modern energy cell was compatible with the ancient weapon, and he snapped it on after removing the defunct power source.

"OK, here it goes!" he warned as he tried igniting it a second time. This time the familiar snap-hiss sound echoed through the cave as the relic came to life. Gar deftly swung it around.

"It's as good as new." He exclaimed cheerfully.

 _ **-(-)-**_

It was lunchtime in the mess hall in the frigid rebel outpost on Hoth. The Graysons and the Stones were chowing down on some charbroiled Bantha steaks, which they brought with them on thtransport, their fleshy aroma wafting through the air.

"I'm glad B's not here to bitch about us enjoying a good steak." Victor joked.

Starfire giggled in response. "What will he do without his tofu?"

Blackfire snickered "Oh, I'm sure that the Republic has something just as disgusting as tofu."

"You guy's shouldn't make fun of Beast Boy. When we're all older and struggling with cholesterol problems he'll be the perfect picture of health." Nightwing interjected.

Starfire giggled again. "Have you forgotten, my dear? When I traveled to the future he was fat!"

"Maybe." The masked hero said as he polished off his second steak. "But I doubt Raven will allow that to happen."

Victor laughed and made a "whipped" gesture with his right hand with a matching "swish" sound coming from his mouth.

Everyone, including Nightwing, had a good laugh at Victor's joke. Which is why they didn't see what was about to happen.

A Wampa monster had smelled the delicious Bantha steaks grilling through an unclosed hatch that lead into the caverns. The Wampas usually stayed away from the base as they had been chased away in the past by painful stinging blasters. But this winter had been brutal by even local standards, and this particular Wampa had not had a meal in over a month and was literally starving as it had been unable to catch any prey. At this point survival instincts took over and the creature threw caution to the wind. The aroma was irresistible.

Starfire was the first to see the creature and screamed, forming star bolts in her hands, ready to hurl at the tall white furry monster.

"Star! Don't! We'll have a cave in!" Nightwing yelled as he leaped at the monster, his bo staff ready. She understood his warning, allowing her star bolts to dissipate and instead she and Blackfire hurled themselves at the Wampa, which batted Richard away after his bo staff strike proved futile. The creature was incredibly strong, but was no match for two pairs of Tamaranian fists. The Princesses pummeled the creature and by the time a security detail arrived they had completely subdued the white beast.

The platoon leader was stunned, as he had just witnessed Starfire knock the creature out cold with her bare hands.

"Ahsoka wasn't kidding! You Earthlings kick ass!" was all he could say.

"Actually darling, my sis and I are Tamaranians. Earthlings don't have our beautiful orange complexions." Blackfire corrected the soldier.

"I stand corrected." he replied still stunned, while Starfire ran over to check on her husband who was just lifting himself from the floor.

"They're faster than they look." Was Nightwing's only remark as he groaned.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The expedition returned in time for dinner, which was some sort of pasta dish with a meat substitute. When they heard that they had missed Bantha steaks for lunch 3 of the 4 Jedi pouted. Gar magnanimously held his tongue, as he knew that Raven had been craving some steak lately. Their lunch consisted of what Raven dubbed "Galactic Baloney Sandwiches" which were so bad that they made real baloney sandwiches taste good by comparison.

The 4 Jedi ate their dinner quickly and were lead by Rahn to a lab to see what could be salvaged from the holocron. Raven ate her dinner at a more relaxed pace as the return trek tired her out a bit. Realizing that she pushed herself a bit more than she anticipated she stayed behind to chat with the Princesses, who told her about the incident with the Wampa monster, which the soldiers eventually released to the caves. An advisory was posted warning of starved Wampas and the need to keep the hatches closed.

Rahn was disappointed with what he found in the holocron. There was only one bit of useful information extracted from it. Prior to coming to the frozen world that would eventually be named after him, Hoth had a base on a small island on Dantooine. That was their next destination.

Everyone was so eager to get off of frozen Hoth that they didn't mind that Rahn was dragging them away without even asking the Titans. Even Raven had decided that she was tired of her butt cheeks being cold all the time and once she saw on the database that Dantooine had a pleasant climate she was ready to leave.


	45. Chapter 45

They had arrived on Dantooine over two weeks ago. The rebel squadron chief mechanic on Hoth upgraded their transport with a level 1 cloaking device which would hide them while in hyperspace. They did risk detection when arriving at Dantooine as the cloak did not hide the ship from the visible light spectrum or close range radar. Fortunately Dantooine was a backwater on the outer rim, and there were no Imperial starships near this primitive world of farmers.

The island was near the planet's equator and the yellow sun shined brightly in the sky. The temperature was tropical and there were no obvious signs of Hoth's long ago presence on the Island. The four Jedi divided the island into 4 quadrants and slowly searched their sections which were quite large as the island was over 40 square kilometers. Gar took advantage of his morphing abilities and the others often saw a green condor lazily glide over Garfield's quarter of the island, watching him with envy as they slowly slogged through the island's jungle, sweating profusely.

Starfire was happy to be back on a warm planet and had been the only Titan to pack a swimsuit. She donned her thong bikini and recharged her powers by soaking in solar radiation for hours. The first day her extremely revealing swimsuit drew furtive glances from the other males, which Nightwing noticed. Deciding that some privacy would be best he grabbed a small canopy tent and took his family away to one of the secluded beaches on the island. Raven told them that the database said it was safe to swim as there were no predators or poisonous creatures in the local waters. He led them to a secluded cove and set up the canopy. Unlike his wife and daughter his skin could be burned by the local sun's abundant ultraviolet emissions, which were much higher than those encountered on any beach in Jump City, so he took refuge under the canopy's protective shade. Those with Tamaranian complexions had nothing to worry about as their skin converted UV energy into stored power that could be used later to power flight and conjure star bolts. Since they were alone Starfire stripped off her swimsuit and romped naked on the beach with their daughter, laughing as they both played in the sunlight, absorbing the UV rays. A randy smile appeared on Grayson's face as he happily started at his wife's perfect and uncovered figure, and he began to make plans for later when their daughter took her nap. Eventually Elizabeth ran to her father and took his hand.

"dada. play!" she begged him.

Dick smiled and took off his Nightwing costume, applied some sun block and briefly joined his family for a swim and a romp on the beach.

They had forgotten that they were in Garfield's quadrant and he saw them with his powerful condor eyes. He briefly stopped his methodical search to get a better look at the Graysons. Well actually a better look at Starfire.

Garfield circled for several minutes high in the sky, unnoticed by anyone.

 _Star sure is easy on the eyes, especially when she's naked!_ He thought to himself, chuckling in his mind.

 _Gar, what the hell are you doing? Please don't tell me you're spying on them!_ Raven's voice popped into his head. He forgot to put up a Force block.

 _I'm bored_! He whined. _I've been searching all day, and haven't found anything._

 _That's no excuse. Now get back to your search!_ He heard her voice snarl in his head. _You should be ashamed of yoursel,f Garfield Mark Logan! And don't you dare violate their privacy again! What if they make love while Elizabeth takes a nap?_

 _Ooooh that would be hot!_ He replied

 _Garfield!_ He could hear the shock in her telepathic voice.

 _I'm just joking, Rae. I know better than that._

 _You and I are having a talk when you get back, buster!_

 _Yes dear_ he replied half heartedly. He had considered asking her to join him later for a nude romp on a beach, but knew what her answer would be now. It was pointless anyway, as her gray, pale skin would burn to a crisp under Dantooine's fiery sun. The last thing he needed was a grumpy, sunburned Raven.

Throughout the day Garfield would take a quick glance towards 'Grayson Beach', 'just to make sure they were OK'. Eventually Raven's prediction came true. He averted his gaze from the beach and continued his search. He had to give Raven credit, she was pretty smart.

 _Thank you, dear._

 _Dammit_! He had forgotten to raise his telepathic Force block again.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The frail old fisherman slowly trudged into the local sheriff's office in the dusty fishing village. It was primitive, lacking climate control and the windows were wide open. It was staffed by a single deputy, who was taking a midday nap while several local insects buzzed around the office.

"Jerood, Jerood! Wake up the old man shouted as he shook the slumbering constable.

"Huh? What? Oh, it's you father. Why did you wake me up?" he complained.

"The bounty, the bounty!" the old man said excitedly.

"What are you talking about? What bounty?" his son replied.

"You know the one the imperials in Garang posted."

"You mean the bounty on the four missing Jedi? Have you been drinking again, father? There aren't any Jedi out here."

"Not here you fool! I saw them on Hoth Island."

The deputy sat up in his chair, fully awake. He remembered when the bounty was posted two months ago. 100,000 imperial credits would be awarded for any lead that lead to the capture of the Jedi. That was 20 years salary for him. It wasn't possible of course. What would they be doing here, hiding out on Hoth Island? The place was full of bugs and other nasty creepy crawlies. But what if it was true?

"Are you sure father? The garrison is in the capital. You know that Garang is on the other side of the world? If they come out here and the 'Jedi' turn out to be a bunch of bums camping on the island it'll be my hide on the line!"

"I saw their ship. It matched the description."

His son tapped on his computer console, searching for the notice. Once he found it he printed a hardcopy.

"It says here that it's a Corellian Javat cargo freighter. You know how many of those there are in service? I'll tell you how many! Over 100 million throughout the Galaxy! What makes you so sure it's them?"

"I saw a huge green bird flying over the island."

"So?" his son replied.

"There are no birds like that around here you idiot!" The fisherman shouted as he snatched the notice from his son's fingers. "Look, it says right here that one of the Jedi is a green shape shifter who can adopt the form of any animal!"

The deputy's eyes grew large as he heard his father's proof.

"What are we going to do, father?"

"What do you mean 'what are we going to do'? You're going to send a message to Garang, that's what you're going to do, you fool!"

"But father, four Jedi could be dangerous!"

The old man looked at his son in disgust. He had only become a constable so he could sleep all day. Where had he gone wrong with the boy, he wondered?

"Fine, I'll go to the post office and send the message myself. Of course they might not come if an old man sends in a report."

The young deputy sighed in exasperation. "OK father, but before we send that report in I want to check this out myself. Like I said I don't want the Imperials to come halfway around the world to bust some two bit smugglers."

"Are you brain dead? You just said yourself that the Jedi are dangerous ..."

"We'll be careful … and quiet. And if they see us, we'll be just a couple of fisherman out for a nighttime catch."

The old man sighed in defeat. "OK, but if they get away I'll never forgive you."

 _ **-(-)-**_

By late that afternoon Gar finished searching his quadrant and began to help Nuvuti, who had the quadrant with the roughest terrain. They continued until late in the afternoon, when Rahn contacted them, telling them to come back and get some rest. Gar found Nuvuti and offered to carry her back to camp. She had only seen Garfield morph a few times in the past and was eager to see what he would change into. He morphed into a huge pterosaur and carried her back to camp in his huge talons, saving her a long and arduous trek back to camp. On his way back he noticed two figures on another beach. Unfortunately pterosaurs lacked the sharp vision found in some birds, but he could tell who it was: Vic and Blackfire. He had already raised his mental shield as he cursed his luck.

 _I'm the only Titan who isn't scoring today._ He moaned as he felt sorry for himself.

The flight home only took a few minutes and Gar soon dropped Nuvuti off gently on the ground before morphing back into his human form while still in mid air, landing himself after performing a mid air somersault.

"Thanks Gar. You're always so sweet and a gentleman too." Nuvuti thanked him with a kiss on the cheek.

Gar looked pretty beat. He was sweaty and was dirty. Raven heard them arrive and ran up to him, ready to give him the chewing out he deserved. Instead she took pity on him, as he looked quite miserable.

"Are you hungry? I can make you something." She offered.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'm gonna wash up first. I feel gross … and sore."

Raven pecked him on the lips before hovering over to the outdoor kitchen that Victor had set up, and began preparing Gar an early supper.

"Nuvuti! Would you like to join us?" Raven called out.

No one noticed the small boat a few hundred meters off shore, whose two occupants had seen Beast Boy fly in and morph into a human.

"See, I told you, Jerood! He's the green changeling, are you satisfied now? And the gray girl, she can fly just like the notice said!"

"OK father, I agree, it's them. Who would have thought they would come here of all places?"

The old man slapped his son on the back of his head.

"Of course they're here! They're hiding from the Empire, you fool!"

The young man massaged the back of his head.

"OK father, there's no need to get angry! Now let's out of here before they see us."


	46. Chapter 46

The Imperial officer walked down the hallway at a brisk pace, with a data pad in his hand. He wore a smile on his face that was turning into a grin as he entered the turbo lift. He pressed a button on the elevator's control panel and the doors slid shut. As the elevator began its quick rise to the top floor he pondered his good fortune. He could not wait to share the news with Emperor.

The report had arrived hours ago from Dantooine. The small regiment of clone troopers stationed at that backwater located the Jedi and their alien friends. Fortunately for him the clones contacted him first upon receiving the tip from a rural constable. Had they just charged in to make an arrest they would have been destroyed and the Jedi would be long gone. Clones were fearless and obedient, but they didn't always think things through and were sometimes a little too trigger happy, which is why the Emperor was steadily replacing them with fully human storm troopers. The cloners on Kamino were disappointed with this decision, but they knew better than to press their case with the Emperor and were resigned into accepting that their lucrative business making clone troopers was finished. Upom receiving the initial report the officer instructed the clones to send a reconnaissance mission to the island were the Jedi were reported to be hiding. Yo his immense delight the final report came back positive, they were there. If the Jedi were captured he would no doubt be promoted to Admiral and the Empire paid its senior officers well, very well.

The lift reached the top floor in the tower and the doors swished open. As he stepped out he was surrounded by the Emperor's Red Guard, who patted him down and scanned him carefully before allowing him to continue, escorted, into the Emperor's throne room. He had been in there only once before, 2 months ago, when he had been promoted to the rank of Captain in the Imperial Navy, Intelligence Unit. At that time Darth Vader was also been present.

Vader was present this time as well, standing at the right hand of the Emperor, and this time there was a second sinister figure standing at Palpatine's left, a humanoid Miralukan, the former Jedi Master Jerec, who was now an Imperial Inquisitor.

"Captain Yerev. I am told you bring me good news." Palpatine greeted the officer, who knelt before him. "Rise and report your findings."

Yerev rose to his feet. "We have found them, My Lord! The four Jedi and their alien companions have been discovered on Dantooine. My scouts have identified the four Jedi, including Rahn, Tano, a Twi'lek Padawan and the Terran shape shifter. They also confirmed that the presence of six other aliens: two orange skinned females who appear to have the power of flight, two adult Terran males, a female infant and the gray skinned demoness, who is pregnant. While unconfirmed, the two Terran males are believed to be human."

The Emperor smiled at the Captain.

"Excellent! You have served me well ,Captain, and you will be rewarded. Lord Vader will take your data pad."

The Dark Lord of the Sith approached the nervous Captain, who handed him his data pad.

"Well done, Captain, you are now excused".

"Thank you, My Lord!" Yerev then saluted the Emperor, and then Vader before exiting the throne room.

Palpatine stared at the night sky from his throne room. Stars were not visible from the surface of Coruscant due to the planet's light pollution, but he could feel them through the Force. Without turning he addressed Vader.

"Lord Vader, I want you and Master Jerec to capture them all, and I want them ALIVE."

Vader bristled at Palpatine's order. Taking them alive would be a serious challenge. And there was Jerec. He did not trust the sightless Inquisitor, who he knew wanted to take his place as Palpatine's Sith Apprentice.

"As you wish My Master. We will depart for Dantooine immediately." Vader replied.

The two adepts of the Dark Side bowed to Palpatine and left the Throne Room, their capes billowing behind them as they walked out.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Rahn decided to give his search team the next day off to rest before resuming the search. Rahn spent the day quietly meditating while Ahsoka used it to continue Nuvuti's training into some of the more esoteric uses of the Force. The Grayson's packed a lunch and headed back to their private beach for another day of fun in the sun.

Victor had unpacked his exosuit and with Blackfire's help he reassembled it. The arc reactor started flawlessly and Vic took it out for some trial flights. There was a large rock formation about 2 miles west of Hoth Island, and the Stones flew out to it to practice using their weaponry. Their repulsor rays, sonic cannons and other weapons made short work of the small island, reducing it to rubble.

Raven decided that she needed some quality time alone with her green boy toy and also packed a lunch. During his searches Gar found a cove on the south side of the island, it waters crystal clear and free of rocks and other nasty things to step on. He grabbed another collapsible canopy, a couple of folding chairs, some towels along with a small tube of sun block he found in the ship's infirmary and threw them into a large canvas bag. Morphing into a pterosaur he grabbed the picnic basket and the bag with his talons and lifted off, followed behind by Raven, who could still fly flawlessly despite her advance stage of pregancy.

Rahn was troubled with their lack of success. Surely he thought there had to be some trace of Hoth's presence here. He could feel a slight tremor in the Force, but couldn't localize it. He knew it was on the island, the only question was where.

The Stones rested on the remains of the rock formation while they enjoyed their picnic lunch as well. It was a beautiful day and Vic was getting warm in his exosuit. At Blackfire's suggestion they headed back to camp so Vic could change into something more "comfortable" for an afternoon at their own beach. They flew back at a high altitude, as Vic ran one final trial to see how fast the suit could climb. He easily outran Blackfire to an elevation of 1500 meters and once she caught up with him they turned back towards camp, flying along the islands coast line, slowly descending. As they flew along the south coast Victor saw two figures romping in the surf. Using his helmet's built in telescopic lens he recognized the Logans and laughed so loud that Blackfire heard him through his sealed face piece.

"What is it?" she yelled.

Victor unmuted his microphone. "BB talked Rae into skinny dipping!" he laughed.

Unlike Raven, who was shocked when Beast Boy spied on the Graysons, Blackfire was intrigued.

"So, is she really a natural violet head?"

Vic almost choked on his laughter.

"You're worse than I am, you little perv! And yes, she is. We'd better get out of here before they see us. Raven will kill us if she finds out."

As the Stones slipped away unnoticed Gar splashed Raven in the warm surf. Giggling she levitated out of the way each time dodging his watery attacks, having too much fun to be self conscious of her now very pregnant and naked figure. Gar ran after her laughing, knee deep in the water, still trying to splash her. She dropped down into the water and using her dark energy decided to splash Gar back. Except in her case she formed a large wave that smothered the green changeling, sending him tumbling. Realizing she had overdone it she flew over to his still submerged figure and pulled him up.

"Rave." he coughed, sputtering water out of his mouth. "I think I saw something down there. I'm going back to check."

He morphed into a dolphin and dove into the lagoon, using his sonar to scan the bottom of the cove. He was back in less than a minute.

"There's a metal box at the bottom! I'm calling Rahn!"

He felt her small hand around his.

"It can wait." She said demurely. "You're still all mine now." She kissed him while squeezing his posterior with her right hand. Even though they had been married for almost two years now, Gar felt his legs go rubbery on him.

"If you insist." He said dreamily.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"This should be an easy mission Lord Vader" Jerec said as he examined the report on the data pad.

"Are you certain of that?" the Dark Lord of the Sith replied.

"I am. Qu Rahn is a mediocre and undistinguished Jedi who only escaped order 66 because he was assigned to a distant observation post. Tano, while talented, is a rookie and the Padawan had an unremarkable record at the Temple, in fact she was almost expelled. The changeling is somewhat of a mystery but is also a rookie. Their alien companions should be easy to deal with."

"Do not underestimate Tano. And until we learn more about the aliens I would not dismiss them so handily, especially not the changeling and his mate." Vader chided Jerec.

"You give them too much credit, Vader. Do not let your feelings for your former Padawan cloud your judgment."

"And do not allow your ambition to cloud yours, Jerec. Know this, Inquisitor, I am the Dark Lord of the Sith, and you will not replace me. Is that understood?"

"My Lord, I would never dream of such a thing." The sightless Miralukan lied.

"I hope so Jerec, for your sake."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Jerec is also a character from the Star Wars extended universe. Look him up on wookiepedia for more details.


	47. Chapter 47

It was late in the afternoon when Gar finally contacted Rahn about his underwater discovery. Raven used her dark energy to extricate the object from the bottom of the lagoon after Gar loosened it with the Force. It was a chest, of similar design to the one found in the cave on Hoth. It also had a Force lock and although he tried several times, Gar was unable to open it, which frustrated him.

"Some Jedi Knight I am. I can't even open this lousy chest." He grumbled, clearly displeased with himself. "I'm really a Padawan Rae; Nuvuti is more skilled than I am." He sat down next to his wife, staring at the wretched chest. Raven put a comforting arm around him.

"You're being too hard on yourself. Sure, your training was done in a hurry and has some gaps ..."

"Some gaps?" He interrupted "More like a whole bunch."

"As I was saying, some gaps. Nuvuti is clearly convinced you are a Knight Gar, and so is Ahsoka. You are held in high regard by your peers, my love, and if it's any consolation even Master Rahn had difficulty in opening the lock on the first chest."

"I suppose." He replied absentmindedly. "You don't suppose that you could open it with your magic?"

Raven rubbed her chin. "I could try inspecting the lock with my soul self."

"No, don't do that, what if you get trapped inside?" Gar replied as he heard a sound in the foliage behind them. He whirled around, his hand already on the grip of his lightsaber. It was only the other three Jedi who, looking sweaty and dirty, had emerged from the jungle behind the beach.

"Oh, it's you." He sighed in relief as he gestured at the chest. "I can't open it, I already tried the rhyme, it didn't work. Raven wanted to send her soul self inside to pick the lock, but I'm not sure that's safe."

The Togrutan nodded her agreement/

"He's right Raven, it's too risky." Ahsoka warned her. "Let us try to open it".

Rahn emerged last from the jungle, having been outrun by the two much younger females. He was panting, though doing his best to preserve his dignity.

"Just … give me … a minute" he said between breaths. "How … did … you two … become … so fast?"

"By not being 47 years old." Ahsoka teased him. "Let me try first."

Ahsoka placed her hand on the lock and focused, summoning the Force. In her mind the lock danced around, dodging her attempts to catch it, just like it had with Gar. After a few minutes she stepped back, sweat formed on her brow.

"Gar, Nuvuti, let's do this together."

By combining their powers they were able defeat the lock and the chest opened. Raven peered into the airtight chest and saw that it contained a smaller box, which Rahn retrieved. The smaller box wasn't locked and Rahn opened it, revealing a pyramid shaped holocron. Ahsoka and Nuvutu Jedi recoiled at its sight, instantly recognizing what it was.

"What it is it?" Raven asked.

"It's a Sith Holocron." Rahn answered.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Rahn had placed the Holocron in the small mess hall in the transport. Garfield was staring at it, mesmerized. It was a marvel, and it oozed The Force. How could something so beautiful contain so much evil? It was midday and most of the team members were resting somewhere in the shade. Raven was asleep outside on a hammock. Her pregnancy was catching up with her and she was tiring more than usual. He worried about her, she was approaching her seventh month and he was concerned about how she would give birth. They had a clunky med droid in the ship, but that just didn't seem right, she deserved better than having to give birth while they were on the run from the Empire.

The main hatches on the ship were open and a hot breeze blew through the ship. Gar ate a large lunch and was thinking of joining Raven in her king sized hammock for a nap, but he just couldn't pull himself away from the lure of the Holocron. What secrets was this small pyramid hiding from them? He reached out to it through the Force, cautiously yet with some determination. Nothing happened. The holocron stubbornly held onto its secrets.

Tired, Garfield again considered joining Raven, but decided to leave her undisturbed as she was sleeping so peacefully . He Empire felt so far away and he didn't want to interrupt her perfect slumber. Instead he put his head down on the table, using his arms as a pillow.

 _With no warning he found himself to be in a strange place. It was a massive city that extended endlessly in all directions. There were lanes everywhere in the sky, full of flying vehicles, like floating freeways in the firmament. All of the buildings were monumental towers, dwarfing anything found on Earth. Many were connected with walkways and he was standing on one. As he looked down he saw Raven on a lower walkway. She was no longer pregnant and was carrying a green infant as she ran across the foot bridge and had fear in her eyes._

 _He called to her but she could not hear him. She was running from someone, but he could not see who it was. As she made her way across the bridge she was cut off from the other side by a squad of Storm and Clone Troopers who began firing at her. She raised her dark shield, deflecting the countless blaster bolts. It was then that he saw who was pursuing her. It was Vader who was accompanied by more troopers who were also firing at the gray demoness who extended her shields around her to protect herself and the baby. Garfield found that he was paralyzed and could not move_

" _Surrender, spawn of Trigon, and I will spare you and your child." Vader offered her._

 _Raven bolted from the platform, flying away as fast as she could. Three TIE fighters appeared from overhead , their engines screaming and using their powerful laser canons they fired upon her, overwhelming her weakened shields. Raven let out a scream and fell, dropping the baby as they tumbled into the void._

 _Garfield felt a presence behind him. He turned and saw a hooded figure standing behind him._

" _You are weak, Jedi. You could not save your mate or your child."_

" _Who are you?" Garfield snarled._

" _I am an echo of Darth Bane, the Sith Lord who created this holocron. He placed some of his very essence into it and it has survived beyond his death."_

 _Gar shook his head in disbelief. He wasn't well versed in Jedi or Sith history, but Ahsoka had told him about Darth Bane._

" _What do you want Sith?" he hissed, now aware that all he had seen was a vision._

 _Bane approached him, and Gar felt the hairs on his neck stand. He instinctively stepped away._

" _I want to help you, Garfield Mark Logan. You are weak, but I can make you strong!"_

" _Why would I want your help?"_

" _The vision you have seen, it will come to pass on Coruscant. You won't be able to save them Garfield. Your training is incomplete. Rahn cannot help you, he isn't a real Master. With my training you will be able to defeat Vader and Palpatine. You will save Raven from them."_

" _I don't believe you, why would you do this?"_

" _It is quite simple. Vader will betray Palpatine and all our work, a millennium's worth of planning by the Sith, will be lost. I need you to eliminate them Garfield, so they can be replaced."_

" _I don't believe you!"_

" _Understandable, my changeling Jedi. So I offer you a gift as a token of my goodwill. You have been spotted and Vader is on his way to Dantooine. You must escape now to avoid capture."_

" _How do you know all this?" he asked._

" _I was a much more powerful Sith Lord than either Palpatine or Vader. I will teach you about the Dark Side Garfield, you will learn its power and the truth that it is not evil as the Jedi claim. But we will discuss this at another time. Now you must flee to safety. I will contact you again soon."_

Garfield jolted awake, in time to see the holocron fold itself shut.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Beast Boy ran out of the transport as fast as he could, searching for Rahn, who was napping in the shade, along with Ahsoka and Nuvuti. He ran up to the Jedi Master and roused him awake.

"Rahn! Wake up! I had a vision. Vader's coming!"

Rahn woke up quickly and leaped out of his hammock, his initial look of alarm was replaced with skepticism. "I don't feel any tremors in force Gar. Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?"

Ahsoka had also woken up and was reaching out into the force as Starfire and Raven floated over to see what all the commotion was about. She frowned.

"He's right Rahn, Anakin is already near Dantooine, and I can feel a tremor in the Force. He's trying to hide it with the dark side, but I know him too well."

Raven frowned. "How far away is he?"

"I don't know. But we need to get out of here now!" Ahsoka shrieked. She was in no mood to meet the monster her former friend and master had become.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Vader and Jerec stood on the bridge of the new Imperial class Star Destroyer. The ship had just entered orbit around Dantooine on the far side of the planet. In 10 minutes they would be within range of Hoth Island and would deploy a swift strike force that would capture the Jedi and their alien allies.

"Is the strike force ready, Jerec?" Vader grilled the ambitious Dark Jedi.

"It is, My Lord. They will deploy in 8 minutes." Jerec smiled. "This is all too easy."

Vader gazed upon the planet below.

"Do not be overconfident, Jerec. They are Jedi." Vader could feel Ahsoka's presence nearby. Jerec was right, he had to keep his feelings for her in check. Obi Wan had been his master, but Ahsoka was the only true friend he ever had within the Jedi order.

 _Come to me, Ahsoka. Become my apprentice again. Together we will bring order to the Galaxy._

"My Lord! A ship is leaving the planet at top speed and it's out of our weapon's range. We are commencing pursuit."

"Do not let them escape Commander. The Emperor will be most displeased if we fail to capture them. And trust me Commander; you do not want the Emperor to be displeased with you."

"Yes My Lord, they will not escape."

The giant star destroyer fired up its sublight engines and began its pursuit of the small cargo transport.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"I guess we'll find out how good those upgrades this ship got actually are." Victor howled as he saw the Star Destroyer closing in on them on the radar screen. "Guys, we gotta blow this Popsicle stand, now!"

"We'll have a course plotted in 15 seconds." Ahsoka announced. "We're as good as gone!"

"I don't know if we have 15 seconds!"

Ahsoka watched the nav computer console intently, waiting for the green light to appear, indicating that the course had been safely plotted. Suddenly she heard a voice in her mind, a familiar voice, a voice that she has been aching to hear again.

 _Snips! Don't run away! I've come for you! Become my apprentice once again._

"Anakin?" Ahsoka whispered "Is it really you?"

 _Yes, Ahsoka, it's me. Come join me. I will complete your training, my Padawan. Together we will overthrow the Emperor. We can do it._

Ahsoka stared vacantly into the void, unmoving.

"Ahsoka!" Starfire shouted. "We must leave now!"

The Togrutan Jedi snapped out of her trance and engaged the hyperdrive.


	48. Chapter 48

"Where are we going this time? Nightwing asked Ahsoka.

"I'm taking us out into the Wild Space, the uncivilized fringes of the galaxy, but not to any star system. There's no Imperial presence out there, but we do have to watch out for pirates. We'll just hang out in interstellar space until we know our next move."

Rahn sat in the copilot's chair, scratching his chin, lost in thought as he stared into the hyperspace tunnel they were in. He then turned to the pregnant sorceress, who was also looking out into hyperspace.

"Raven, can you still contact Master Yoda?" He asked.

Raven was seated in one of the extra chairs in the ship's bridge. She was stroking her now ample midsection absentmindedly. The baby, now well into its seventh month was moving frequently and she was beginning to worry about the circumstances of her child's upcoming birth. Even more worrisome was that she had received no pre-natal care since they left Earth months ago. While distracted she had heard Rahn's question.

"It shouldn't be a problem. Do you want to do it now? I can open a visual portal that would allow you to speak directly with him."

Rahn nodded and asked Nightwing to join him and the other Jedi in the mess hall for the conference. Ahsoka turned the ship's controls over to Victor as she followed the others out of the bridge.

As they entered the mess hall Raven asked Gar to rearrange the chairs so they would form a semi circle. She sat in the middle of the semi-circle and the others took their places, Garfield sat to her right and Rahn to her left.

"Please be still and quiet while I conjure this spell. It's a little tricky and requires a great deal of concentration. If I succeed we should be able to see and hear Master Yoda in the middle of the circle and he should be able to see and hear us as well."

Raven crossed her hands in front of her face, with the palms facing outward to her left and right, in a manner identical to when she merged with her emoticlones in Nevermore. Her eyes glowed white and a ring of white energy began to spin around them. She began to utter words in Azarathian and the room suddenly darkedned. Gar heard a stray 'Yoda' interspersed with the spell. The white ring leaped above them and began to shrink into the center of the semi circle, where it began to morph and change colors, until they could all see a translucent image of the diminutive Jedi Master standing before them. Yoda, who was in his hut on Dagobah, looked somewhat surprised, but quickly recovered.

"Greetings friends. Safe and sound you are I see."

"Greetings Master Yoda." Rahn replied. "I am sorry to report that the trail to the Valley of the Jedi has run cold and we were nearly captured by Darth Vader. We are hiding in the Wild Space for the time being. What are your instructions?"

The diminutive master frowned upon hearing the report. "Most unfortunate your news is. Worse it could be. Where could you hide and found not be, hmmm?"

Yoda looked lost in thought for a few minutes and then broke into his elfin laugh.

"Found a place for you to hide I have! Stay you will with Senator Binks on Coruscant!"

"What?" Ahsoka shouted. "Master, are you sure about this? On Corsuscant?"

"Certain I am, young Ahsoka. Expect you there they do not. And a friend I will send to stay with you. Comfortable and undiscovered you will be there. Safely give birth there Raven can."

"If you say so master Yoda." Rahn replied reluctantly. "But how do we get there?"

"Your ship ,registered it will be to collect refugees from Coruscant. This passage to Coruscant it will provide."

Rahn nodded. "Raven can teleport us off the ship once we land at the spaceport. We will need someone to collect us there and transport us to the safe house."

"Your contact Captain Panaka will be, contact you he will before you land. Once arrived you have, contact you I will about a mission."

"Thank you Master Yoda. May the Force be with you." The four Jedi replied together as his image faded away.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The converted freight transport dropped out of hyperspace into high orbit around Coruscant, waiting for a landing slot to open for it. The Tamaranians both gasped at the sight of the planet sized city, though they had both explored much of the Milky Way, that had never seen anything like Coruscant before. It was home to over 1 trillion sentient beings and possessed an entirely artificial ecosystem that included massive atmosphere scrubbers that converted the enormous amounts of carbon dioxide generated by its inhabitants back into oxygen.

After almost an hour the transport, which was masquerading as a Corelian transport with a counterfeit transponder, was given the go ahead to land at a space port that was on the opposite end of the planet from their safe house. Panaka had contacted them and was already waiting for them. He procured an old flying moving van to collect them. Prior to receiving the authorization to land, Nightwing and Blackfire became anxious over the long wait. Victor told them to relax, as they we flying "casually" and were not drawing any attention to themselves.

Once they landed Raven teleported their belongings into the van followed by the passengers. Richard and Garfield, who had morphed into a Rodian, pretended to be the crew and signed over the ship for the next crew to transport a load of refugees off of Coruscant. Once they moved out of sight Raven phased out of the floor and retrieved them as well. Soon they were on their way to the safe house, a journey that took over 12 hours on the planetary subsonic air traffic lanes, which they used to blend in and not draw attention to themselves. During this passage they rested and caught up on their sleep while Panaka briefed Rahn on the situation in the safe house. Senator Binks was away on personal business in Naboo and they would have his penthouse, which once housed Padme Amidala, to themselves. When asked who the surprise friend was he replied that he did not know as he had not been at the Senator's house in days.

It was late at night when they arrived at their destination, not that it made any difference. Coruscant was a city that never slept and even though it was past midnight there was as much air traffic as there would be during the daytime. The van pulled up to the penthouse's loading dock and the hatches were immediately opened by a couple of loading droids, which began to remove the luggage and other containers from the ship. A lone figure, shrouded in the shadows approached the ship and boarded it. Raven saw him first. He was of moderate stature and had a short beard. While dressed in civilian clothes she noticed that he had a lightsaber clipped to his belt.

Ahsoka saw him next and shrieked with joy as she ran up to embrace him.

"Master Kenobi, it's so good to see you!"

The two friends exchanged a warm hug.

 _So this is the famous Obi-Wan Kenobi_. Raven thought to herself. _He certainly doesn't look half as awe inspiring as Jarvik Katarra, but I suppose size isn't everything. I should know, I'm married to my green bean._

Garfield and Nuvuti ran to the hatch when they heard the name. Nuvuti had meet Obi-Wan at the Jedi Temple while Gar naturally only knew him by reputation.

"Master, it's an honor to meet you, sir" Garfield bowed nervously in the presence of the mighty Jedi Master.

"The honor is mine, Garfield Logan." He turned towards Raven.

"Raven Logan. It is my pleasure to meet you." He said as she extended her hand.

"Master Kenobi." She replied.

Obi-Wan had been instructed in Earth customs by Yoda and took Ravens' hand in a firm handshake.

"Master Yoda speaks very highly of you Mrs. Logan. How are you feeling?"

"Ready to give birth." She replied with a smile. "And please, just call me Raven."

"Yes, of course, and please call me Obi-Wan."

Garfield had already walked into the penthouse and was examining the layout. He noticed the large balcony and decided to check it out as well. The panoramic view was spectacular but as he looked down his heart nearly froze as the vista was completely familiar to him. It was the panorama he saw in the vision, complete with the bridges and walkways below. His vantage point was the same as in the vision that Darth Bane's echo had shown him.

"Hey, you OK? You look like you just saw a ghost." Raven said as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"No, it's nothing. Probably just déjà vu or something."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Darth Vader paced angrily around the bridge of his ship. The Jedi had miraculously escaped capture and Ahsoka was also with them and the aliens. Jerec was also on the bride and he could sense sightless Dark Jedi's satisfaction with the failure of the mission. The backstabber would do anything to replace him as Palpatine's right hand man. He knew that he had to be careful. While his prosthetics helped make him functional again he felt like a cripple. He could not longer conjure Force lightning now that both his hands were artificial. He remembered well how Palpatine did not come to Dooku's aid when he overpowered him. He even instructed Anakin to kill the old man after disabling him. Palpatine was loyal to no one but himself, and the sooner he was out of the picture the better. The only reason Palpatine had not yet replaced Vader was because he had not found a substitute for him. Jerec was ambitious but was not strong enough in the Force. What Vader needed right now was an ally, someone he could trust. If only he could turn Ahsoka to the Dark Side.

His thoughts wandered to the changeling from Earth. He was stronger in the Force than others gave him credit. Back on Dantooine he felt the young Jedi's tremor in the Force and it was promising. And like he himself once did, the changeling had a mate and would soon be a father himself. If Snips could not be turned to the Dark Side, perhaps he could. The question was where were they? He had searched out into the Force to locate them. He could feel them but there was so much noise around them that he could not pinpoint them, they could be anywhere in the galaxy.

He would have to be patient. But time was not a luxury he had at the moment.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Are you sure you're OK, Gar? I'm getting some weird vibes from you. You're scared, aren't you?"

Gar gestured at the void from the balcony.

"It's probably nothing, but I had a vision about this place."

"And?"

"And you and baby died in that vision." Obi-Wan was approaching, overheard the conversation and joined in.

"Forgive me for eavesdropping. When and under what circumstances did you have this vision Garfield?"

Gar frowned. Great, now Kenobi was going to know he was screwing around with the holocron.

"It was back on Dantooine. I was watching the Sith holocron we found and I passed out. I heard a voice that said it was Darth Bane's echo and it offered to train me."

Obi-Wan's opened wide with concern. "Where is this holocron now?"

"Ask Rahn. He packed it away."

Obi Wan grabbed Gar by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Garfield, you will disregard that vision. It clearly came from the holocron and is a lie. The Dark Side uses fear to seduce us. That is how we lost Anakin. He was given false visions of Padme's death to draw him to the Dark Side. Sadly, it was Anakin himself who destroyed Padme. Do not fall into this trap Garfield, do you understand?"

Gar nodded.

"Good, now go and meditate for a while. Communing with the Force will help put your mind at ease."

Raven took her husband's hand. "Come with me Gar. Our room has been set up for us. Thanks Obi-Wan." She said as she led Garfield away.

Obi-Wan sighed as the couple walked away. There was a reason Jedi were to be celibate, he reminded himself. His romance with fellow Jedi Master Siri Tachi had almost drawn him into the Dark Side when she was killed. Her loss still pained him to this very day. And then there was Duchess Satine Kryze, he also loved her and was forced to watch her murder at Maul's hands. Obi Wan was no stranger to having romantic feelings, and the power they could have over a Jedi … and of course, there was Anakin …

Kenobi noticed that Garfield's Earth friends were approaching him along with Ahsoka. He also observed that two of the females could levitate at will and did not use the Force to accomplish this feat.

"Master Kenobi, I'd like to introduce you to some of Garfield's colleagues from Earth."

Ahsoka proceeded to introduce the four Titans to Obi-Wan.

"Excuse me" he interrupted "But you two are not human, and neither is the child, am I correct?" he asked the Tamaranian sisters.

"You are correct." Starfire confirmed. "My sister and I are Tamaranians. We both have human husbands and my daughter is half human and half Tamaranian."

"Tamaranians have unusual powers." Nightwing added. "They have super human strength and are capable of flight. My wife Starfire is able to conjure energy orbs which she calls star bolts and which she can throw and both she and her sister can shoot energy beams from their eyes."

Obi-Wan looked very impressed. "I sense through the Force that your hands are artificial, Blackfire. Is this why you cannot also conjure these 'star bolts'?"

"Nothing gets past you Jedi." Blackfire replied. "I lost both of them to a lightsaber."

"One of Ventress's Dark Jedi apprentices?" he asked.

"No." she hung her head. "It was Garfield." Obi-Wan looked surprised at her confession.

"Garfield? But how?" he asked.

"Let's just say that I was under the influence of the Dark Side of the Force at the time. I'd rather not talk about it anymore."

The Jedi Master nodded his head in understanding. "We have all been tempted by the Dark Side."


	49. Chapter 49

The weeks passed quietly at the Senator's apartment, and no one in Coruscant seemed to be aware that there were unusual guests in Senator Binks penthouse. The partment was huge and everyone had the privacy they needed, but it was obvious to Kenobi and Ahsoka that the Titans were growing restless, hiding from the public eye. There were cameras everywhere and stepping out, at least in the upper levels of Coruscant was a risky endeavor, and the Titans knew that the lower levels, where the sun literally never did shine, would have no appeal to them.

Obi-Wan took over Gar's training and the changeling proved to be a quick study. He completed his form 3 training lightsaber, known as Soresu. This was Obi-Wan's preferred form, which was defensive and emphasized deflection and even redirection of an opponent's attack. Gar had long been able to deflect blaster and bullet shots with his lightsaber but under Kenobi's tutelage he was soon able to redirect them back at the attacker. Kenobi also had a pair of rare sparring lightsabers, which have yellow blades and do not cut. It allowed him to accelerate Garfield's training, as there were no fatal blows should one make a mistake, though contact with a yellow blade was still painful

Once his Soresu training was complete Obi-Wan began training Garfield in form 4, known as Ataru. Ataru was Qui-Gon Jin's preferred style and had once been Obi-Wan's style as well. After Qui-Gon died at Darth Maul's hand Obi-Wan switched to Soresu. Nevertheless Ataru had its advantages, and was Master Yoda's preferred style.

Obi-Wan took a great deal of interest in Raven's powers and requested many demonstrations. As Jarvik had noticed before, he too was able to tell that Raven was outside of the Force. There were legends of alien races, from outside the galaxy, that were not part of the force, though none were recorded. That Raven was indeed outside the Force troubled him a great deal. For one thing, it dispelled the wideheld belief that life was impossible without the Force or Midichlorians, of wihich blood tests confirmed that Raven had none.

While the child in her womb left a strong imprint in the Force (and would probably make a good Jedi someday) Raven was simply invisible. Obi-Wan was puzzled by Raven's ability to levitate and use her dark energy. As was the case with all Jedi, he had been taught that there was no such thing as true magic, and that all magic was simply unconventional use of the Force, as was the case with the Witches of Dathomir, but Raven was making him doubt that belief. Her invisibility to the Force made Raven a desirable agent for the rebellion as well.

He also found the Tamaranian sisters to be fascinating. Their physical prowess and abilities defied the laws of physics, or so it seemed. Starfire conjured some star bolts for him to examine with some instruments. He couldn't believe that was able to summon and control so much energy and without the aid of the Force. The Tamaranians were, unlike Raven, part of the Force yet nothing in their Force signature gave away their extraordinary abilities.

Obi-Wan found himself feeling a bit jealous of the three ladies' powers, especially their ability to fly. Few Jedi were able to master the skill of levitation, and he wasn't one of them. Garfield had recently mastered the ability to levitate while communing with the Force, but no Jedi were able to use the Force to actually fly. It actually irritated him to see the three women float around the penthouse effortlessly.

Once Gar's basic Ataru training was complete Ahsoka was going to teach him form 5, Djem So, which was her preferred form. Raven would often watch Gar's training sessions and was present on the first day of Gar's Djem So training. The training had to be suspended, because just as they were beginning their first session, Raven's water broke.

Upon their arrival Ahsoka had Captain Panaka discreetly procure a mid wife droid along with the necessary birthing supplies and equipment. Being a Senator Jar-Jar already had a dedicated medical droid in his residence. Much like Dr. Nuñez, the droid didn't know what to make of Raven's body chemistry. There was nothing in the medical database that resembled it, and the droid simply reported that it had no way of knowing if the child was healthy or not. Nevertheless, the child was growing and had a steady heartbeat and its brainwaves appeared to match Raven's, so the tentative prognosis had been that the child was healthy. Once the child was born Obi-Wan had a standing order to wipe the droids's memories. There would be no record of the child's birth.

Gar led his wife to the birthing room that had been prepared for the occasion. They were followed by the Tamaranians and Ahsoka but no one else. Raven had told Nuvuti that she could be there as well but she declined. As Starfire closed the door Raven felt her first contraction and let out a muffled scream. Garfield on more than one occasion joked about how he was glad he was a 'dude' and not have to experience childbirth. However seeing Raven suffer he reached out to her with the Force and shared her discomfort, which diminished the pain she felt. When her next contraction hit she sensed that he was also in pain and put 2 plus 2 together. As soon as the contraction passed she kissed him and thanked him for being there. His reply was simply "You're doing all the work, I should be thanking you."

Unlike delivery rooms on Earth, the facility the midwife droid had set up was one that allowed Raven to sit in a squatting position, allowing gravity to help with the delivery. The medical droid asked Raven if she would like an anesthetic, which she bravely declined. Fortunately she dilated quickly and soon the child's head was crowning. With a few more painful pushes the baby emerged and was caught by the midwife droid, who immediately checked the infant for vital signs, after which it cut the umbilical cord, washed the infant, handing him to his father. Garfield presented their son to his wife, who was now radiating with joy, as were the three other women. The boy had a green complexion like his father and a few violet strands of hair could be seen on his otherwise bald head.

Gar kissed his wife tenderly. "Well done Rave, you did great."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Vader stood on the balcony on his apartment in the Imperial Palace. The apartment wasn't his primary residence as he had a palace of his own, but rarely ever stayed there. If he wasn't aboard the Avenger he could usually be found at the Imperial Palace. Palpatine had summoned him and he returned hastily to Coruscant, leaving Jerec in command of the Avenger while it continued to search for the Jedi and their alien friends. It was unusual for Palpatine to keep him waiting this long and Vader felt his impatience grow. He stared out over the cityscape, and saw the now abandoned Jedi Temple in the distances. He was flooded with memories. Some, such as those of his former colleagues, who were all dead, he quickly brushed away. But then he suddenly remembered the first time he met his Padawn, during the Clone War. She was an insecure child, trying to prove herself to her elder. The memories advanced and he saw Ahsoka grow into adolescence and after that into young adulthood.

He reached out into the Force, searching for her.

" _Snips! It's me, your master. Answer me!"_

Ahsoka was helping Raven bathe little Matthew, who was now two months old. She had finished training Garfield in Form 5 lightsaber technique and Obi-Wan was now teaching him how to commune with those who had become one the Force after their deaths.

She shuddered abruptly, which Raven noticed.

"Are you OK?" the Sorceress asked.

"It's Vader; he's calling out to me through the Force."

Raven noticed that the Togrutan was pale and sweating.

"Where is he?"

"Not far. He's here on Coruscant. Raven, I have to leave. I'm putting everyone in danger by being here."

There was a knock on the door and Obi-Wan stepped into the nursery.

"Ahsoka, have you felt his presence too?" he asked the young knight.

"It's worse than that. He's calling out to me. He wants me to become his dark apprentice and join him in overthrowing the Emperor."

Obi-Wan's face took on a grave expression. "You and I need to leave Ahsoka. Right now we're in the wrong place. We must draw Vader away from here."

"Maybe we should all leave." Raven suggested. "This world gives me the creeps."

"No, I need you to stay here. I have a mission for Rahn, Garfield and Nuvuti."

"No! I forbid it!" Raven snarled. "Every time Gar is on Jedi business he gets injured. I'm not letting you turn me into a widow!"

"Raven, Garfield is a Jedi Knight. As a heroine you must understand that he has a duty to fulfill." Kenobi replied calmly.

"Forget it Obi-Wan. We've done our duty. We were getting ready to retire from the hero business when Sifo-Dyas showed up, and we still intend to retire."

Obi-Wan paused before replying.

"Do you think Palpatine will accept you retirement notice? I don't think so. He will stop at nothing until Garfield either swears his allegiance to him or dies. And that goes for Matthew as well. He is strong in the Force, I can feel it. Palpatine will want to train your son himself."

Raven's jaw trembled in anger.

"We'll see about that! I have a few tricks up my sleeve. My father may be destroyed, but his demons remain and their allegiance is sworn to me and my consort."

Obi-Wan looked shocked. "Are you serious Raven? You would summon such evil?"

Raven glared at him with her four demonic eyes. "To protect what is mine? In a heartbeat! I will not allow any harm to come to Garfield or Matthew!" As she said this she began to grow in stature and long dark tendrils emerged from her cape.

"I hope you know what you are doing Raven. Do not underestimate the Dark Side of the Force."

Raven snorted. "We'll see how Palpatine's Dark Jedi and inquisitors fare against my demons."

Ahsoka had slowly retreated to the door where she bumped into Garfield who had heard everything.

"Rave! You can't be serious! Are you really going to summon the fire demons? Are you sure you can control them?" Gar asked worriedly.

Raven morphed back into her human form, still cradling Matthew in her arms. "They have to obey me. I am their mistress. They'll even obey you as you are my Prince Consort."

"Prince Consort?" Gar stammered. "What are you talking about?"

Raven sighed. "I'm sorry I never told you this. When I destroyed my father I inherited his kingdom, of which I am now its Queen. As my mate you are my Prince Consort. We rule over that dimension."

Garfield felt his legs go wobbly. "You mean I'm a demon now?"

"No, you are only my consort. Now that Matthew had been born he outranks you in my realm."

"Sheesh Rave, talk about dropping the bomb on me."

Raven looked sad and contrite. "I hoped to never have to tell you. I'm sorry."

"Can't you resign or something?" he asked.

"Matthew would become their King." She replied.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka traded worried glances.

"Ahsoka and I still need to leave. We will contact you once we arrive at our new hideout."

Garfield's thoughts turned to the Sith Holocron and to Darth Bane. If Raven could wield a dark power for good, why couldn't he? He decided to pay the Holocron a visit after Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had departed.

 _ **-(-)-**_

And it's here, dear readers, where I stopped writing this story 9 years ago.

To be honest, I painted myself into a corner. The Titans can't defeat Vader and Palpatine, because that would change Star Wars history. But if they go home to Earth, what's to stop the Sith from following them home?

If you can think of a way out of this mess, please let me know.


	50. Chapter 50

Well, readers, I'm going to write more chapters for this story, and here is the first one. Enjoy.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Garfield watched, along with Raven who held their newborn in her arms, as a large air taxi departed, ferrying away Kenobi, Ahsoka, Rahn and Nuvuti to a nearby space port, where a clandestine shuttle craft awaited them. They would purposefully leave a trail for the Imperials to follow.

Senator Binks would be returning soon. The Senate had become a mostly ceremonial body with no real legislative power and they mostly served as an advisory council to the Emperor. Most Senators were resigned to the fact that Palpatine was never going to rescind his emergency powers and restore the Senate's authorities. Nevertheless, being a Senator still had its perks, including a very handsome salary, a housing allowance, a transportation allowance and a staff budget. It made for a very comfortable living, making up for the fact that the Senate was mostly a ceremonial body There were rumors that Palpatine might dissolve the Senate, but the truth was that the body was still useful to the Empire as an administrative tool. Because of its now near political irrelevance few took the Senators seriously anymore, and thus they, with a few exceptions received almost no scrutiny. Binks still had his reputation of being a bumbling fool, and thus neither the Emperor nor Vader thought much about him or what he did, in particular Vader, who remembered well that Binks was an incompetent fool as was thus harmless. Jar Jar was just one of thousands of Senators who did little more than attend parties an socialize on Coruscant, and like them he was mostly ignored by the Empire's military police.

As the taxi vanished over the horizon, Raven sighed unhappily.

"I feel trapped here." She murmured to her husband.

"Me too. I'm sure Yoda has a plan to get us out of here."

"Did Kenobi tell you anything?"

Gar shook his head. "Nothing. I have no idea where he's going or if we'll see him again."

"Gar, we can't hide here in this penthouse forever."

"I know … maybe this Senator Binks will have some information for us when he arrives … you look tired, you should get some rest. Matthew looks sleepy too."

"Might as well, there's nothing else to do here."

Gar kissed both his wife and his son before they headed back inside. He followed her in.

"I'll talk with Dick and the others."

Raven nodded and headed off to their room and he went off towards the large living room, where the others were sitting. Before he got there he stopped in front of a small storage room. The door swished open and he entered.

The chest with the holocron inside sat on a table in the middle of the room. It was locked. He raised his hand, aiming it at the chest, and focused. The lock released itself.

The chest was left behind in Bink's penthouse as it would be the last place the Empire would expect to find a Sith Holocron. Gar stared at the chest for a long time, before he finally raised its lid and opened it.

The Holocron floated out of the box by itself, and hovered, slowly spinning in front of Gar's mesmerized face. The Holocron was said to contain the very essence of evil.

Gar was no stranger to the struggle between the forces of good and evil. He first fought evildoers with The Doom Patrol, and of course later with the Titans he faced what he thought was the embodiment of evil: Trigon the Terrible. It didn't get anymore black and white than that.

It seemed so obvious when he was younger: he was one of the good guys, a hero. But when he was a child, Mento often put him in harm's way. Sure, back then young Garfield was more than willing to play hero, but now he had to question Mento's ethics, placing a child in harm's way. Sure, as a Teen Titan Gar had reached the age of reason and could make that decision for himself, but as a member of the Doom Patrol that decision was made for him.

Until recently he had no idea of how the Jedi trained their ranks. It was during a long chat with Ahsoka that he and Raven learned that the Jedi took toddlers from their parents, with their permission, away from their families, permanently. Ahsoka had no memory of her parents or even knew what their names were, all she knew was her family name: Tano.

This troubled him a great deal. He did remember his parents, however vaguely, and couldn't imagine how being taken from your parents forever wouldn't be a traumatic event for any child. Ahsoka simply said that it was the Jedi way and it was done to protect the child's family, and that history showed it was the best way to recruit future Jedi Knights. Many children washed out early for many reasons: their strength in the force faded, they lacked the mental discipline to properly control it, psychological issues or many other reasons. Those children were returned to their families, though in many cases it was after years of separation, making their return to their families difficult. It was also a challenge for their parents, who now had to deal with a child who had some level of access to the force, which made their reintegration into society difficult. Those who didn't flunk out became padawans.

What disturbed Garfield the most about this process was that no one asked the children if they wanted to be Jedi. It was simply assumed that they would, and of course by the time they reached puberty and became padawans it was very unlikely that any would chose to return to families they did not know, not that they ever asked. This all deeply troubled the changeling.

He remember Darth Bane's voice, telling him that the Sith were not evil. He knew that was a lie, but he was also aware that the Jedi had ethical issues of their own. They were not saints. He once asked Ahsoka about the celibacy vow. She told him more about Lux Bonteri, her teenage crush. She told Gar that for a brief period she fantasized about being Lux's lover, at least until she found out about Steela Guerrera and that he was in an intimate relationship with her. She also told him that it wasn't only Skywalker who secretly broke the vows. Many wondered if Kenobi ever broke his vows with Duchess Satine of Mandalore.

Still there was no doubt in his mind that the Jedi were the good guys. But as the holocron floated before him he wondered if perhaps something about the Force could be learned from the Sith. Jarvik was able to use Force Lightning, after all. Were there other applications that could be tamed and used from the light side, for good?

Gar gestured and the holocron sank back into the chest, which he closed and locked.

 _ **-(-)-**_

Vader stood on the Avenger's bridge, his arms crossed, staring in the hyperspace void as they gave chase to the rogue shuttle craft that left Coruscant without official cleatance. Unfortunately for the Empire the shuttle had a good head start and to make matters worse its hyperspace path lead to a massive junction that had dozens of hyperspace lanes lanes leading out of it. There was no way to determine which path it took at the junktion. The shuttle had escaped.

Jerec stood deferentially at Vader's side. The blind Inquistor pondered his master. Few knew Vader's true identity, and Jerec was one of the few who knew that the Dark Lord of the Sith was none other than Anakin Skywalker. Jerec encountered Skywalker a few times when they were both Jedi Knights. He never believed that Anakin was the Chosen One, it was too obvious that Kenobi's apprentice, in spite of his great skill, did not have what it took to fulfill the prophecy. Now he was a robotic cripple, a shadow of his former self and the Emperor's lap dog. Getting rid of Vader and taking his place was doable, though Jerec knew would have to bide his time. Of course, if he could find the Valley of the Jedi he would become more powerful than even the Emperor himself. But for now, he would have to be patient.

"We have lost them, my Lord."

"Yes, Jerec, I am aware of that." Vader's voice betrayed a hint of anger.

"What are your orders?"

Vader sensed something odd. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew where he had to go.

"Set a course back to Coruscant, I will report our failure to Emperor myself, in person."

Jerec bowed ever so slightly. "As you wish."

 _ **-(-)-**_

Gar quietly exited the storage room and resumed his walk to the penthouse's large entertainment area. As he walked in the other Titans, who were seated on a few couches all turned to face him. He immediately noticed that a strange looking alien with big floppy ears was with them.

"Where were you?" Nightwing asked. "Our host has arrived."

"I was in the storage room, taking inventory of all those lightsabers we found on Hoth ..."

He turned to Jar Jar. He looked like a humanoid frog with floppy ears.

"You must be Senator Binks?"

Jar Jar smiled one of his huge Gungan grins.

"Yousa guessed right. Yousa Garfield Logan, Jedi Knight."

"I am. Pleased to meet you. We weren't expecting you to arrive until tomorrow."

"Meesa have a longo talko with Obi Wan. Wesa needa to move you somewhere safer. Weesa take you to Naboo, to Gungan City."

"Gungan City?"

"Eesa safe place."

"A safe place? How is it safe?"

"It's under water and the Empire doesn't consider the Gungans to be a threat, so they're not only out of sight, but are also ignored." Blackfire explained.

"Underwater … oh crud … Rave's gonna hate it. Can't we stay on the surface in what's it called … Theed?"

"There's a small imperial garrison in Theed, so we can't stay there. But Senator Binks is right, the underwater city will be a safe hideout." Nightwing interjected. "We'll leave in a few days. Senator Binks has a ship with diplomatic immunity, and it's a fast one. The official story is that he's moving part of his household back to Naboo."

Gar rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not crazy about this, but anything has got to be better than staying here. This world feels dead … artificial, even the Force feels weird here. And it doesn't help that it's the Imperial Capital … anyway, I'll go tell Rave.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"An under water city? You mean we'll be living in a submarine?" Raven asked. "Gar, you know I'm claustrophobic."

He pulled a holoprojecter out of his pocket and turned it on, display a vista of the Gungan city.

"It's actually pretty roomy. Lots of open space."

Raven frowned. "Oh well, I guess it'll be better than here."

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Gar, wake up."

"Huh, what?" He replied as he slowly opened his eyes.

"You're tossing and turning in your sleep." Raven replied.

The changeling sat up in their bed.

"You're sweating, you're drenched" She added as she gently caressed him.

"Sorry I woke you up. I'll go drink some water and clear my head. I'll come back later."

"I can come with you."

"Nah, you get some sleep. I won't be long, and I'll be quiet when I come back. Promise"

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"I'm sure." He replied as he gently kissed her.

"OK. But don't stay up all night." She said as she got back under the covers.

 _ **-(-)-**_

After pouring himself some kind of Naboo calming tea, he walked out to a balcony, sat on a chair with his drink and watched the late night air traffic zoom by in the hundreds of lanes he could see from his vantage point. He sipped on the tea while staring into the night sky.

So much had happened in so little time. Jar Jar's penthouse had unobstructed views of both the abandoned Jedi Temple as well as the Senate building. He looked at the Temple and felt curious about it. He considered morphing into a bird and flying over to inspect it. He knew that would be a great way to be discovered and quickly discarded the idea. Plus he knew it was pointless, it was certain that the Temple had already been emptied out and gutted by now, and possibly had already been re-purposed for some other use.

He took the last sip from the cup and decided he was ready to go back to bed. He dropped the cup off in the kitchen. Fortunately, apartments in Naboo were more like Eartly apartments than those on Tamaran, though the toilets, or "freshers" as they were called, were a bit different, as they were designed to accommodate non humans of all shapes and sizes. On his way back to the bedroom he stopped in front of the storage room and paused. He shook his head and began to turn away, but stopped.

After hesitating some more he turned back to the storage room and entered.

The door swooshed shut behind him.


	51. Chapter 51

Garfield stopped in front of the chest, which was covered in ancient looking glyphs he could not read, another part of his training that was incomplete, or in this case, was completely missing. He didn't know anything about the origin of the glyphs, which reminded him that there was so much he did not know about.

What he did know was that they couldn't keep on running from the Empire. While the galaxy was vast, the Empire was seemingly everywhere and safe havens were few and far between, and would not offer them long term shelter.

He stared at the chest for what felt like hours, feeling tempted to open it. The holocron it contained harbored many secrets and untold knowledge.

 _Beware the Dark Side._

His whole body jerked as he heard the words Ahsoka had told him back on Earth during his very informal training. In fact, she told him those words repeatedly. What she had not done was tell him what the dark side was. Sure, she told him the textbook definition: fear, anger and hatred. Yet he had seen all those emotions in Ahsoka, not to mention Raven, his friends and even himself. Did that make them part of the Dark Side?

Sometimes … he wondered if the Jedi were fanatics ... Force fundamentalists? Jarvik once told him that the Sith saw everything in black and white, in extremes … but were the Jedi any different in that regard? Was the difference between good and evil not as stark as black vs. white? Were there shades of gray between the two? Or was that something people told themselves to justify their acts?

Was the Force truly dualistic as the Sith and Jedi claimed? Or was it merely people using it for their own purposes? Sure, the Sith had their way of using the Force. Ahsoka had told him, more than once, to never wield the Force with anger, yet when she wielded it in combat, he could feel her anger as she fought. How could one commit acts of violence without feeling anger or hatred?

And then, there was Raven and Matthew. Both were the spawn of Trigon the Terrible. Raven wielded her father's dark powers yet he knew in his heart that she was not evil.

But the Emperor and his Empire were evil and apparently unstoppable. He had virtually wiped out the Jedi order. The few Jedi left clung desperately to the beliefs that had failed them. The Sith operated under their collective noses for more than a millennia, waiting for the right time to defeat the Jedi. Now the Jedi were scattered and impotent, reduced to hiding on barren worlds on the outer rim.

There was a tool in the chest, a tool with the secrets the Sith used to be powerful. Ahsoka insisted that those secrets would corrupt any Jedi who used them and she warned Gar that once a Jedi began to follow the dark side, that it would forever dominate his destiny.

Gar didn't buy it. As Robin once told him, people had free will and could choose between good and evil. Gar believed that as well. He also believed that some people had an innate tendency towards evil, but that came from within.

He opened the chest and the holocron levitated out of it. He focused on it and it opened, slowly rotating.

 _So you have returned, green one._

"Maybe."He replied in an unconvincing tone.

 _There is no maybe, do or do not. If you have not returned, then leave._

"I'm not interested in your Sith philosophy, so spare me."

 _Then what do you seek?_

"Knowledge"

 _For what purpose?_

"To protect what's mine."

 _There is only one way to do that. You have destroy your enemies … I can help you with that. But know one thing, changeling, once you destroy your enemies you cannot simply walk away, for if you do, new enemies will spawn from out of nowhere and fill the void you leave behind._

Gar crossed his arms. "So you're saying that I would have to become the new Emperor?"

 _The title is irrelevant. What I am saying is that you will need to keep order in the galaxy, otherwise chaos and disorder will ensue._

"Couldn't the Republic be restored?"

 _The Republic was already a corrupt and dead carcass, it has been one for centuries. Why do you think it was so easy for Palpatine to seize power? Restore the Republic and you will have twenty Palpatines fighting to control it, or worse, the Chiss Ascendancy could step in and conquer the whole galaxy. Plus there are other enemies, deadly and unknown enemies, who are waiting in the shadows for the galaxy to fall into chaos. We cannot allow that to happen._

"Unknown enemies? Are you talking about an alien invasion from outside the galaxy?"

 _Yes, the Yuuhzan Vong have been waiting for centuries for the right time to strike. The Chiss have long known of them and so does Palpatine. If the Empire is overthrown they will invade and conquer._

"Dude ..." Garfield moaned.

 _Garfield, even without your intervention the Empire will eventual fail. Only you can save the galaxy._

"Me? I can't even save my family."

 _You refer to the vision. It is true. Vader has already sensed your presence on Coruscant. If you stay, the vision will come true._

Garfield gulped. "So what do I do?"

 _First, you must leave Coruscant. It will take time for me to complete your training. Until then you will have to remain in hiding. And do not expect the few Jedi who are left to help you, for they are also on the run and will have to remain in hiding. They are basically impotent._

"You said the the Empire will fail on its own. How do you know that?"

 _Have the Jedi not told you of the prophesy?_

"What prophesy?"

 _The chosen one will come and bring balance to the Force._

Gar arched an eyebrow.

"So you mean no more Dark or Light Side?"

 _Both are illusions. There is only the Force. It is impartial to all who can wield it._

"OK, so if this chosen one is coming, shouldn't we just keep hiding until he comes?"

The holocron paused before replying.

 _If you bring balance to the Force, there will be no need for the chosen one._

"But … wouldn't I just be the same as the Emperor?"

 _He does not bring balance to the Force, but you can. Democracy is an lie, it only brings chaos, but so does injustice. If you are a firm, but just ruler, you will bring peace and order to the galaxy, and balance to the Force._

The changeling stepped away from the chest.

"Dude … I don't know about this. I mean … its one thing to be a superhero, but this?"

 _It is a big decision to make, and you do not have to commit yourself yet. But I can train you while you, your family and friends remain in hiding. But know this, green one, you won't be able to hide forever. And when the Empire does capture you, your visions will come true. So, what do you say?_

Gar shook his head.

"No, I'm not ready to train … I don't trust you."

 _Who will train you, then? The Jedi who abandoned you? Tano? Rahn? Kenobi?_

"I'll think about it. That's all I can promise."

 _Very well, but before you leave, I have a gift for you._

Gar suddenly felt a powerful Force surge run through his body. He almost fell down and was overcome with dizziness before he recovered.

"Dude, what did you do?"

 _You can now use Force lightning without it affecting you. But do not tell anyone of this, especially not the Jedi, as they will no longer see you as an ally. Keep this a secret, as it may help you someday save the the ones you love. Farewell, changeling, until we meet again._

The holocron closed and descended back into the chest, which closed and locked itself. Garfield stood staring at the chest, panting as he felt his heart race. He raised his hand and focused. He almost yelped when he saw the energy tendrils dance from his fingertips. Suddenly, he felt very powerful and confident, certain that he could now protect Raven and their son from the Sith.

After calming himself he headed back to their bedroom. Raven and Matthew both slept calmly. No one would ever hurt them, he promised himself as he got back into bed. Raven rolled over and slowly opened her eyes.

"Are you OK?"

He wrapped his arms around.

"I'm good, let's go back to sleep. Roll over."

She did as he asked and he spooned her from behind. Within a few minutes both were asleep.

 _ **-(-)-**_

The silver colored spacecraft, which had the customary red diplomatic markings on it, soared through hyperspace on its way to Naboo. Starfire stared disapprovingly out a viewport at the surreal tunnel the ship flew through.

"Something wrong, Starfire?" Raven asked.

"The hyperspace, it is a dangerous way to travel. We could collide with a solid object and be destroyed."

"I've been told that the probability of that happening is infinitesimally small, because the hyperspace lanes are well mapped."

"You know that my sister doesn't like to take chances in space travel."

"Please, Blackfire, do not speak of your reckless adventures in the Draconis Nebula."

Before the dark haired Tamaranian could reply the Senatorial ship came out of hyperspace. Blackfire smiled at the sight.

"Not a bad looking planet. It's too bad we'll have to hide in, what's it called, Otoh Gunga?"

"We owe Senator Binks a debt of gratitude." Raven interjected. "He called in many favors to get us sanctuary."

Blackfire snickered. "I don't see how anyone could owe him a favor. I've never seen anyone more scatter brained than him."

"WE owe him a great debt. I have no doubt that others do as well." Raven snapped back.

"He managed to keep the Empire out of Otoh Gunga, and I have no idea of how he negotiated that." Garfield, who had been eavesdropping, interjected. "I can see the Gungans worshiping him for that."

The spaceship's captain, a young Gungan female, contacted Naboo's space traffic control, which was of course operated by the Empire. In theory, because of the ship's diplomatic status, she could have circumvented space traffic and just entered the atmosphere. But asking for permission was the polite thing to do and Gungans were very polite. They were quickly granted a landing clearance next to Lake Paonga, at the informal and tiny spaceport the Gungans operated there.

The ship landed without incident. The passengers donned traditional Gungan formal attire, with large hoods covering their heads, to disguise themselves, in case anyone was watching. The ship's cargo and its passengers were transferred to a large watercraft, which soon departed for the underwater city.


	52. Chapter 52

_Three months later …_

The Titans had grown accustomed to living in Otoh Gunga. The city was very spacious as were their accommodations. They mostly kept to themselves in a lightly populated cluster, which granted them some privacy. Other than some Gungan sentries they had no other company, though they would occasionally venture out of their cluster. During one of his visits Binks arranged to have an underwater tour in a vessel with a huge bubble canopy. Garfield seemed to enjoy it the most. He would also sometimes venture out on his own, taking the form of an Earthly shark, that is until he encountered some of the local fauna. He was almost ambushed once by a huge Opee Sea Killer fish, which tried to catch him with its long, sticky tongue. He also saw a few Colo Claw Fish and even a Sando Aqua Monster, which was 700 meters long. Eventually, at the Gungan sentries' pleading, he decided that staying away from the core was a good idea and Gar's underwater explorations came to an end.

That said, the others did experience cabin fever. It was too risky to visit Theed, even in disguise, but there were smaller human outposts that didn't have any imperial presence. Dick, Victor and the Tamaranians would occasionally take a day trip there, mostly to purchase human food and supplies the Gungans didn't have. Raven and Gar would sometimes go with them, disguising themselves with holorings as they all did. There wasn't much to do at the small towns except maybe enjoy a quiet meal at a small cafe. Naboo cuisine was OK, a bit bland but they had experienced worse.

Today there was a different excursion. Dick and Victor were actually going to Theed, as they were going to purchase some equipment that Vic wanted for the lab he was assembling in Otoh Gunga. In particular he wanted to upgrade his exosuit. The sisters were going to explore a dense jungle about 200 km away, looking for a suitable above water site for habitation. They left Mar'i with Raven.

Gar had spent a lot of time training. Obi Wan someone managed to send a Jedi holocron to the changeling, along with a chest full of floating training drones. The changeling spent a great deal of time practicing with the drones, and had reached a point where he could fend of over a dozen of them. It was after one such session that he had lunch with Raven and the two children.

As they finished eating he cleared his throat.

"I've been thinking about our situation."

"So have I." She replied. "What are you thinking about?"

"That we need to take the fight to the Empire."

"How?" She asked in skeptic tone.

"You once mentioned summoning the fire demons."

A slight frown formed on her face. "Only as a final resort."

"Why wait? If we catch the Empire by surprise we could defeat it." He said in very confident tone.

"And then what? We become the Empire?"

"Of course not. We turn power over to the Rebellion."

She shook her head. "The rebellion is in no position to take over. They're still too small, too disorganized and too divided. It would be chaos. The Chiss could attempt a power move, so could the Hapes and what about the aliens, the Vong?"

He snorted in disbelief. "So you're saying that the Galaxy needs the Empire?"

She sighed. "Gar, I know you're a Jedi, but this isn't our fight, we don't belong here."

"So what do you propose we do? Keep hiding?"

"Until the rebellion becomes stronger. Then we quietly go home and hope the Empire is too busy to notice."

He rose from his chair. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

"That could take years to happen, if it does. There are rumors, Rave."

"Rumors? What kind of rumors?"

He sat back down.

"The Empire is planning on building a planet killer. A weapon that can destroy a whole planet with a single shot. If we don't do something to stop that, who knows how many people will die?"

Raven recalled the Azarathian prophecy she heard when they were on Alderaan, that the planet would be smashed, obliterated and that all its inhabitants would perish.

"How do you know of this? I haven't heard anything, and I've been reading the Bothan Spynet reports with Dick."

Gar made a dismissive gesture. "The Bothans don't know anything."

"And you do?"

"I have my sources … Rave … I'm not saying that we have to do anything right away, but we also don't have forever. Will you at least think about it?"

Raven stared at her husband, suddenly feeling that she no longer knew him.

"Yes, I will."

He then gave her one of those warm smiles, with his fang poking out, that melted her heart when she first met him.

"Gar, do you ever wish that things were like they used to be, when we were still the Teen Titans?"

He nodded. "All the time … anyway, I have to go study my next lesson. That holocron Kenobi sent me, I've only scratched it on the surface."

"Sure, I'll get the kids to take a nap. How about we go surface side tomorrow, I'm starting to get cabin fever again."

"It's a date." He replied as he walked out the door.

 _ **-(-)-**_

There was a secured room where Gar kept his Jedi paraphernalia. The chest with the Sith holocron was there, along with the chest full of old lightsabers they found on Hoth. The Jedi Holocron sat on a workbench, as if waiting for him. He walked past it and opened the lightsaber chest.

Gar had spent time examining the contents of the lightsaber chest. He took inventory of which ones still worked, replacing their power cells with new ones. The dead ones he put in another box. Vic would try to repair them and if that wasn't possible he would disassemble them for spare parts.

But something Gar discovered was that not all the lightsabers were Jedi. There were a few that had white blades, which he learned belonged to "Gray Jedi", independent Jedi who did not belong to the order but who also had not turned to the Dark Side.

But there was one he found which was very different form the others. The one had cross guard blades, or quillons. He learned through the Sith holocron that it was of an ancient design and was probably thousands of years old. Its kyber crystal was natural, but cracked. When he first activated it the three blades it projected were not smooth like those of every other lightsaber he had ever seen, and were rough and unstable.

He could sense that the blade had many owners over the ages, all practitioners of the dark side, all of them very powerful. As to why it was part of Hoth's collection he did not know, but what he did know was that he liked wielding it very much.

He ignited the blade. A not so very nice smile formed on his face as he gripped its hilt. This was the blade of a conqueror, of someone who would make history, who could not be stopped. He shut it off and put it down.

He then opened the Sith chest and the holocron floated out.

"Show me the planet killer."

A holographic projection appeared of the yet to be built Death Star.

"I could bring peace and order to the Galaxy with that weapon."

 _Yes, you could. You could easily destroy the Emperor's star fleet with it._

"No more wars, no more suffering."

 _Correct, what the galaxy needs is a firm hand to rule it. Palpatine is not the one._

"I could do it."

Gar suddenly sensed Raven approaching. She was very agitated.

"Raven." He whispered.

 _I must go back into the box. She must not know about our time together, not yet._

"Go." The chest closed as Raven rapped on the locked door.

"Gar, the door's locked."

She phased through it and entered the room. She looked extremely disturbed.

"Rave, what's the matter?"

She caught her breath. "Dick just called , they're on their way back from Theed,. An Imperial fleet of over thirty Star Destroyers just came out of hyperspace and blockaded the planet. They're offering a 100 billion credit reward for our capture. Thousands of shuttles with troopers are coming down, and dozens of shuttles are coming here to Otoh Gunga."

"So there's nowhere to run."

"Exactly … Gar … you're going get your wish. I'm going to summon the fire demons … I just hope I can control them. If I can't … I don't want to think about it."

He grabbed her shoulders. "I know you can. Let's go kick some Imperial butt."

"Gar … I'm afraid."

"It'll be fine, trust me. We got this." He said as he grabbed the old Sith lightsaber and attached it to his belt.

He took her hand. "Let's get the kids and get to the surface. We're sitting ducks down here."

He tapped his wrist communicator. "Star, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear." She replied.

"Get back to the lake. The Imperials found us. It's time to fight."

"The time for hiding is over. We will be victorious." She replied.

"You bet we will … nothing will stop us now. Nothing."


	53. Chapter 53

The Logans, along with the children, teleported directly to the small spaceport lake's shoreline. It was bedlam, as people, both humans and Gungans, were running around in a state of complete and utter panic. Gar tried to stop one of the Gungans to ask about the current status, but it was an exercise in futility as the native was for all practical purposes incoherent. The changeling tried to shake some sense into the floppy eared native.

"Let him go, Gar, it's pointless."

He nodded his agreement and let the Gungan loose. The amphibian leaped into the lake and vanished. Gar noticed that people were pointing into the sky. He looked up and saw the small outlines of three star destroyers in low orbit. Though they appeared small they still looked menacing.

"We're lucky they want to capture us live." He whispered to his wife. "Thirty star destroyers would have no trouble bombing the planet into slag."

He looked towards the space port's control tower. "Let's check with them."

They ran into the building, where two uniformed personnel, one Gungan and one human were at their stations. The Naboo human noticed them first.

"You're the Jedi, right?" He said, pointing at the two lightsabers dangling from his belt.

"I am. What's the status?"

The controller pointed at a projected holodisplay, which had dozens of red dots on it.

"Not good, there are forty three imperial gunships heading this way. To be honest, we were getting reading to evacuate the space port, we don't want to be here when they arrive. They're kind of a "shoot first, ask questions later" bunch. I wouldn't stay here if I were you, even though you're a Jedi."

Gar looked out the window at the sky. There was still no sign of the enemy. He looked back at the controllers. The Gungan looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.

"I'm not familiar with Imperial gunships. Can you describe them?"

The human gave him a puzzled look, while the Gungan shouted. "Yousa not know what eesa a gunship?"

"I'm not from around here."

"What?" The human asked.

"We're aliens, from another galaxy, we're not very familiar with the Empire." Raven interjected.

"You're saying you're an alien Jedi?" The human male asked incredulously.

"It's a long story … look we need to know what we're up against, OK?"

The human gave an exasperated sigh. "Whatever … OK, they have laser cannons, and about 20 storm troopers each, so you up against about 800 soldiers … not to be rude, but were leaving now, they're gonna be here in about five minutes."

The two controllers abandoned their stations. The human picked up some type of breathing apparatus which he put on. They both then jumped into the lake and disappeared. Gar looked at the holodisplay, before looking at his wife.

"Are you ready?"

"What about the children?" Raven replied just as Starfire and her sister arrived.

"What's the status?" Blackfire asked.

"We're gonna have company, the bad kind. Real soon." Raven replied. "You need take to take the children, get as far away as possible and hide in the jungle."

"I don't think so." Blackfire growled. "I'm tired of running."

Raven looked pleadingly at Starfire. "Please, she's your daughter, and I need you to protect mine."

"But Raven, how can I ..."

"There's no time to argue … Starfire … please do it for me."

The princess sadly nodded her assent and taking the two children she bolted out the door and flew away like a missile, quickly disappearing over the horizon.

"Azar be with you." Raven whispered.

Gar was still at the console, and he had a fierce look on his face.

"OK, ladies, it's time, they're almost here."

The trio exited the building. The small space port was deserted, the only sound they could hear was the wind blowing over the lake, forming small white caps on its surface. Blackfire pointed up.

"I see them." The Tamaranian said in dead pan. "Lock and load, kids."

Gar ignited both lightsabers as the first gunships landed, storm troopers pouring out of them.

"Titans, Go!" He shouted.

Blackfire took off, flying close to the ground, and slammed into several Stormtroopers, knocking them out. Others began shooting at her and she maneuvered away, performing pirouettes and barrel rolls to avoid their blaster shots while she fired back with her gauntlets.

Garfield ran into another group of troopers, deflecting their shots back to them at first and once he was close enough he used his lightsabers to take them down. Raven used her dark energy to throw trees, boulders and anything else she could find, at another group of troopers.

At first they were able to keep the imperials at bay, but a torrent of ships and troopers continued to arrive. Some gunships deployed armored vehicles. The tide had turned on the heroes and they began to slowly retreat back into the spaceport as more and more Imperials arrived. It was then than Nightwing and Victor arrived. Vic was wearing his exosuit and joined the battle. While Nightwing ran to Raven and hid behind her shield.

"They know we're here, there's more coming, a lot more." He shouted.

"We can barely keep up with the ones here." Raven shouted back.

"Where are the kids?"

"With Starfire, hiding. Dick, what do we do?"

His expression looked grim.

"We fight, until we win, or we can't fight anymore."

They heard a sudden scream. As they turned to look, Blackfire fell to the ground and did not move. Several Storm troopers swarmed in, ready to finish her off.

"Noo!" Raven shouted in despair, unable to help the Tamaranian.

The troopers aimed their blasters at the prone Tamaranian, but before they could fire they were engulfed in Force Lightning and fell to the ground. Garfield leaped to Blackfire's side and picked her up. Using Force Speed he zoomed towards Raven and Dick, while more and more gunships continued to arrive.

"She's alive, but we're out of options, Rave, it's now or never, I'm sorry. You know what you have to do."

She nodded gravely as thousands of Storm Troopers surrounded them.

"This is General Fuchs. Surrender and no harm will come to you. We want to take you alive. The Emperor wants to meet you." A voice boomed over a loudspeaker.

"And if we refuse?" Gar shouted back.

"If you refuse I am authorized to annihilate all life on this planet. We know your children are hidden in the jungle, they will die too. Is that what you want?"

Gar looked at his wife. "Raven … now."

She nodded. "I hope this isn't a mistake."

Her eyes split into four red slits as she crossed her hands in front of her face. In a guttural tone she uttered a chant that sounded dark and sinister.

"Good, good." Gar deadpanned as the ground began to shake beneath them.

 _ **-(-)-**_

General Fuchs was one of the Empire's rising stars. He had been recently promoted to General and was in charge of the 427th fleet's ground assault forces. He had stayed aboard the battle groups flagship, the Crusader, and was monitoring all the landing groups around the globe. When they found the green Jedi immediately he couldn't believe his good luck. The Emperor was going to be very, very pleased if he got the Earthling to surrender. He had to be very careful though, because while it was true that he was authorized to decimate Naboo, he also knew that the Emperor wanted this so called Garfield Logan and his wife Raven taken alive.

The threat to kill their children was usually an effective one. There was an old saying, long attributed to the Black Sun crime organization: once a man has a child, he is no longer free. This was going to be his bargaining chip to get them to surrender.

"Mr. Logan, I am awaiting your answer."

He waited impatiently for a reply. There was none.

"If you do not surrender immediately, I will bombard everything in a 1000 km radius. Your children will die. You have 60 seconds to surrender. This your final warning."

Fuchs drummed his fingers impatiently on the console, which remained silent for about 30 seconds, until it crackled, indicating that a reply was coming in.

"General! The is Commander Zeel." A panicked voice warbled,

"Report, Commander. Have they surrendered?"

He suddenly heard screams over the link.

"Commander, report! Have they surrendered?"

"We're under attack sir."

"What do mean you're under attack? Who is attacking you?"

"I don't know, sir … monsters … made of fire … they're immune to our weapons … they're overrunning us ..."

The commander screamed as the link was lost. One of the bridge officers shouted.

"Sir … something is approaching the fleet!"

"Something!? Lieutenant, be more specific! Are these rebel ships?"

The officer looked flummoxed. "I don't know sir, I've never seen anything like this, I'm getting millions of readings. Something is coming from the planet … it's almost here."

"Shields are already raised." The ship's captain informed the general. "Lieutenant, order all ships to launch all TIE fighters. Arm all turbo laser batteries."

"TIE fighters are launching and will intercept in one minute."

The captain and the general approached the holo tactical display, which was already active. There were countless red dots rising from the planet's surface.

"Any ideas, Captain Zeng? The Rebels don't have anything like this, and on Naboo? How would they have assembled anything so vast? Naboo is scarcely populated, how could they hide this from us?"

"I don't know, sir … the fighters should be in visual range in any moment."

The tactical showed thousands of fighters intercepting the mysterious objects. Geneal Fuch's eyes popped wide open as hundreds of fighters suddenly vanished from the tactical display. He glanced at the captain, who also looked dumbfounded.

"Captain, what's happening?" Fuchsshouted.

"Captain! The fighters are reporting that some kind on monsters are attacking and destroying them." A junior officer shouted above the din.

"Monsters? Lieutenant, have all turbolaser batteries on all ships open fire." The captain barked,

"Yes sir … batteries are firing … no effect, sir."

The two senior officers continued to watch the tactical display, until it was clear that all TIE fighters were destroyed. The tactical showed that the "monsters" were now approaching the fleet.

"Lieutenant, did we get any visuals?"

"Yes, sir, on screen."

The holodisplay showed the form of a fire demon.

"What the hell is that?" The General barked.

"Lieutenant, send a message to Corucscant, with the visuals. Inform them that all fighters have been destroyed and that the enemy is impervious to our weapons."

"Yes, sir!"

The Captain gulped. "General, what do we do if our shields can't stop them?"

"We fight."

"But sir, if turbolasers won't stop them, what good will blasters do?"

"I said we fight!"

"Yes sir." He replied in a whisper. "Lieutenant, condition red. General quarters. Prepare for the ships to be boarded. And let us know if our shields are breached."

The junior officer gulped. "Yes sir."

Red alert claxons began to blare. The tactical showed that the fire demons were approaching. The bridge fell silent.

"Sir, there are reports of intruders on all decks … blaster fire is ineffective … but ..."

"But what?" The General snarled as fire demons rose from the floor on the bridge. Everyone drew their fire arms.

"They aren't attacking, sir."

"I can see that, Lieutenant."

Suddenly a loud hum reverberated on the bridge and a dark hemisphere rose from the floor. The demons seized and disarmed everyone on the bridge as the hemisphere melted away revealing two figures: a green humanoid with two ignited lightsabers and another humanoid, this one gray, with four red crimson eyes.

The General frowned.

"The Logans, I presume."

"You presume, right, General. From this moment you and your fleet serve us." The changeling replied.

"I serve the Emperor, and if you thi ..."

The General's reply was cut short as a red flash went through his neck, after which his severed head hit the floor. While Raven's demonic face did not betray any emotion, her posture visibly stiffened.

"That's for threatening to kill my son." He then turned to Catptain Zeng. "You're the ship's captain, correct?" He pointed his red lightsaber at Zeng.

"I am."

"Should I expect insubordination from you as well?"

The Captain's Adam's apple bobbled as he nervously swallowed.

"No, sir."

"Good ...congratulations, Admiral, you have been promoted. Inform the fleet that it has a new master."

"Yes, sir."

"We will return, have quarters ready for us and our friends."

"Yes, sir."

"And do not think of double crossing us. There are fates worse then being beheaded with a lightsaber."

Raven raised her arms and conjured her black hemisphere. As it engulfed them she turned to her husband.

"Was that really necessary?"

"It was. I know it was disturbing, but it had to be done."

"I know he threatened our son, but … did you really have to do that?"

He frowned at her. "All the fighter pilots were killed by the fire demons. Does that not bother you?"

Her eyes reverted to their normal configuration and she looked away. "It had to be done, they were going to kill everyone on Naboo, if there had been another way ..."

"There was no other way, and we had to take control immediately. The General was an obstacle and a danger to Naboo, you saw how quickly they capitulated after … I know it was hard, but we saved millions of lives."

She subtly nodded. "I … see your point."

The hemisphere melted away back at the tiny space port. Nightwing, Vic, and the sisters looked at them both dumbfounded and anxiously. Some fire demons were standing at attention, while others rounded up the storm troopers who surrendered.

"The fleet's ours. We need to leave soon." Gar announced in a very authoritative tone.

Nightwing looked at him askance. Vic and the sisters remained silent. Star handed Matthew to Raven, who nuzzled him, suddenly looking very relieved. Nightwing approached the demoness and whispered into her ear "we need to talk."

 _ **-(-)-**_

 _On Coruscant …_

It was well past midnight when the Emperor summoned Vader to his throne room. Vader had sensed the disturbance in the Force. It was Logan, his tremor had changed. He also sensed that something big had happened. No doubt this was why he had been summoned at this hour.

The turbolift's doors opened. Palpatine was seated on this throne, surrounded by his crimson body guards. Vader approached and knelt before him.

"I am here, my master."

"Rise, my friend, there is bad news."

Vader got up. "What is it, my master?"

Palpatine rose and walked down the steps towards his apprentice.

"It's Trigon's daughter. I appears that I have underestimated her. She and her husband have taken control of the 427th fleet."

"We will destroy them. It will be all too easy."

"It's not that simple, my apprentice."


	54. Chapter 54

"It's not that simple, my apprentice."

"I do not understand. They have the 427th fleet. We can catch them using Interdictor ships and pull them out of hyperspace and destroy them. There dozens of fleets within hours of Naboo."

"We cannot defeat them with ships. Lord Vader."

Palpatine walked to a large holographic console and activated it. A 20 foot tall image of a fire demon appeared in 3D.

"Have you ever seen such a creature before?"

Vader stared at the strange creature.

"It appears to be made of flames. What is it?"

Palpatine slowly paced before answering.

"You remember what I told you about Trigon?"

"You said that he was a powerful being from another dimension."

"Yes, I did. What I did not mention is that he is a demon."

Vader did a double take. "Master, a demon?"

"Yes, I know what you want to say, that there are no demons." He pointed at the hologram. "Tell me, my apprentice, how do you explain this?"

"There are many explanations."

"There is more … watch."

Palpatine, whose eyes appeared to glow under his hood, gestured and the holodisplay switched to a video that showed TIE fighters engaged in battle with what appeared to be countless numbers of the fire creatures. Vader almost gasped when he saw that the fighters' weapons were useless against the creatures, who easily destroyed the fighters, until none were left.

The video then switched to the bridge of the 427th fleet's flagship. The fire creatures boarded and blaster fire was ineffective against them. The Vader saw a dark portal open, and saw a green man and a gray women step out from it. The replay ended.

"You do recognize who that was?" Palpatine asked.

"Rahn's apprentice and his wife … master … what we just saw, how was that possible?"

Palpatine resumed pacing before speaking.

"You have heard of magic?"

Vader frowned inside his mask.

"Master, there is no such thing as magic. What is commonly believed to be magic is just an unconventional use of the Force."

"Tell me, Lord Vader, did you sense those creatures in the Force when they attacked the 427th fleet?"

"No, master, I did not."

"Neither did I. I sensed the fighters destruction but I did not sense who did it."

"Master, how is this possible?"

"It is possible, there is no other explanation: these beings are outside of the Force."

Vader recalled his early days at the Jedi Temple. Master Jocasta, the elderly librarian, taught the younglings a class on the nature of the Force. Part of that class included a theoretical segment about lifeforms outside of the Force. Of course no one in the Galaxy had ever found life without Midichlorians, and wherever there were Midichlorians you would also find the living Force. And while Master Jocasta insisted that life without Midichlorians was possible, all other masters said that it was impossible. Apparently Palpatine was right, the Jedi were mistaken about a great many things.

"Are you certain of this, Master?"

"I am, just as I am certain tha magic exists, even if Master Yoda and his simpletons were sure that it does not exist. And now, I have a mission for you. Take your fleet and go to Dathomir."

Vader did another double take. "You wish me to visit the Nightsisters? Did not General Grevious slay them all?"

"No, he failed in that attempt. You must go and make an alliance with the Nightsisters. Show them that you slayed Dooku, that will help you win their trust. But you must arrive before Trigon's daughter does, you must hurry. The Nightsisters use both the Force and magic. We must not allow Trigon's daughter to meet the Nightsisters, for if they do, they will be invincible."

"Yes, my master, I will depart immediately."

Vader bowed and headed to the exit. Before he left the throne room, Palpatine called out to him.

"Lord Vader, should Raven's fleet arrive before you have sealed an alliance with the Nightsisters, you will leave with the greatest of haste. Do not engage them, as you cannot defeat her demons and I do not wish to lose you … and if you cannot win the Nightsisters over to our side, destroy them. Do not fail me, my apprentice.

 _ **-(-)-**_

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos … Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos … Azarath, Metrion Zinthos ..."

Raven floated, her legs folded in the lotus position and her hands forming the mudras Azar had taught her, above the bed she shared with her spouse. They were in Fuch's old stateroom, with several fire demons standing guard outside their door. The demons were all over all the ship, watching over the crew as they performed their duties.

Raven was long overdue for a mediation session, as the events of the previous day had left her frazzled. Blackfire was seriously injured, though Raven's blue light helped her recover, which contributed to her emotional state of mind.

The sorceress's mind was in a state of disarray, and she focused intensely.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos … Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos … Azarath, Metrion Zinthos ..."

Slowly, the room around her melted away and she was surrounded by the cosmos. The alien galaxy lay before her, in all its spiral glory. Ahsoka had told her it was twice the size of the Milky Way galaxy. It was the home to countless inhabited worlds and quadrillions alone live in the Empire, and many more lived in the outer rim.

Raven wished that she had never seen this galaxy and desperately wanted to go home to Earth. She told herself repeatedly that engaging the Empire wasn't their fight, unfortunately Palpatine wouldn't leave them alone, and now she had escalated the stakes by summoning the fire demons. The Emperor was no doubt displeased with what had happened over Naboo, losing one of his fleets to the aliens.

Raven's concentration began to waver and she tried to recover it, and failed. Just as she was about to end her session she heard a voice.

 _Raven, come to Dathomir._

Her eyes shot wide open.

"Who are you? And how are you communicating with me?"

 _Forgive me, my lady, I did not wish to startle you._ A deep and monotone female voice replied.

"I said, who are you?" Raven replied in an impatient tone.

 _I am your humble servant, Mother Talzin. I am using magicks to speak with you_.

"What do you want?"

 _My lady, I need you to come to Dathomir. We need you to come and protect us from the Sith._

"Are you crazy? We're also on the run from the Sith. And how do you know of me?"

 _It is in the prophecy. It was revealed to us that you would come to the Nightsisters and scatter our enemies with your mighty arm._

Raven suddenly looked startled. "Did you say Nightsisters?"

 _Yes, Lady Raven, we are the Nightsisters. We beg you to come to our aid. We pledge ourselves to you, mighty one. Together we will destroy the Sith! We are you loyal servants, please do not forsake us_.

"You can do magic, who taught you?"

 _We learned from your father, which is why we are beholden to you. And we will protect your child too._

"You know of my son?"

 _Yes, we do. The prophecy says that he will bring unity to the Force and the realm of Magick. Will you please help us?_

"I … I don't know."

The voice began to fade. _Please, Lady Raven, you're our only hope._

The voice was gone and Raven, losing what little concentration she had left, fell onto the bed, waking her spouse. Gar leaped out of the bed, igniting his lightsaber.

"It's OK Gar. It was me."

He looked around and once he was convinced there was no danger he shut down his lightsaber.

"What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

"No, not that,I had a vision."

"A vision?"

"I was meditating when I heard voice."

"A voice? Whose voice?"

"A woman contacted me via magic. She said that they're enemies of the Sith."

"Did she? It could be a trap."

"That's what I thought, until she said that they were the Nightsisters."

"The night what?"

"The Nightsisters … Azar told me that I would meet them someday. She had a vision."

"So, what else did Azar say about these night sisters?"

"Nothing … a few days before I left Azarath for Earth she told me that I would meet them … I wish she could have told me more. I think they were devotees of my father, she said that he taught them magic … anyway, since I'm his heir, plus she claims that there is a prophesy that with them I will destroy the Sith, well they kind of worship me … so what do you think?"

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know … one hand the enemy of my enemy is my friend … but they're also your Dad;s followers ...so what happens if we don't go?"

"I'm not sure, maybe the Sith will use their magic against us … also, they said there's a prophecy about Matthew, that he will bring unity between the Force and Magic. So, do we go to Dathomir, their world, or not?"

He scratched his chin. "We should check it out, but be ready for a trap. What do you think?"

"I think that I'd like to meet these witches." She replied. "But yeah, we should be careful."

Gar got up from the bed and hit the intercom button on the desk in the room.

 _This is the bridge. Commander Kane speaking._

"Commander, wake the captain, and plot a course to Dathomir, the whole fleet is going."

 _Sir, did I hear you correctly? Did you say Dathomir?_

"Yes, I did. Is there a problem?"

 _Sir, no one goes to Dathomir … it's considered a cursed place, and it's quarantined by the Empire. People go down to the surface, but they don't come back._

"We are going to Dathomir. Have I made myself clear?"

 _Yes, sir; right away sir._

Gar disconnected the link with the bridge. He grabbed his communicator and flipped it open, pressing the 'call' button. Nightwing and Victor answered within several seconds.

 _Yo, green bean, what's the big idea of waking us up in the middle of the night?_

"Everyone meet on the bridge, I have news. Gar out."


	55. Chapter 55

Within minutes everyone was on the bridge. Captain Zeng also responded to the summons, and while he was disturbed by being awakened in the middle of the nighttime sleep cycle he did not protest, as the memory of a beheaded General Fuchs was still seared in his mind and he chose to remain quiet, knowing that the ship's new masters would share why they were heading to Dathomir. He knew that the green one was reckless, but he couldn't fathom why anyone would want to go to the wretched home of the legendary Nightsisters.

The Titans, with their Fire Demon escorts, assembled on the bridge. Nightwing remembered the time he and Slade fought Trigon's fiery legion and he eyed them warily. Sure, they answered to Raven now, but that did little to reassure him. He was seeing something in the Logans, something he didn't like. Raven was being evasive with his requests for "the talk", politely deferring his attempts to discuss what was happening. He was finding her secrecy irritating. He also knew that there was no point in speaking with Garfield. Something was happening to him, something that unsettled the masked Titan.

"Good, we're all here." Garfield began. "Captain, I trust we are on course."

Zeng stiffened before replying. "We are and we should arrive at Dathomir in 87 minutes, my Lord."

"On course to where?" Nightwing asked.

"We're going to Dathomir, to meet the Nightsisters." Raven interjected,

Nightwing could tell from the Captain's body language that he was not looking forward to visiting this 'Dathomir' place.

"OK, and why are we going to meet these Nightsisters? And why weren't we consulted about this?" Nightwing grumbled, making known his displeasure of there not being a team meeting to discuss this.

"Dude, don't get your Nomex in a knot, there wasn't any time, we had to make our move."

"And you have the authority to make this decision for us, because?"

Captain Zeng watched the altercation between the Earthlings with a poker face. He immediately recognized the signs of a power struggle. He could also tell that the one called 'Nightwing' was the one who normally gave the orders, though he wondered how the masked Earthling, who was clearly not a Force wielder, could ever have had authority over the scary green one. There was more to learn about his new masters, and he was determined to learn everything he could, especially if he could use that information regain control of the fleet. "Divide and Conquer" was a tactic taught early in the Imperial Academy, and for good reason: it worked.

"We made the decision." Raven again interjected.

To Zeng's surprise, the masked one appeared to back down. This small gray woman was more powerful than her appearance betrayed. He had already figured out that the fiery monsters obeyed her, and he recalled the strange portal they stepped out of. He at first assumed that it was some unknown teleportation technology, but knowing that they were going to visit the Nightsisters put many things into perspective.

"OK, fine, there was no time to consult us. But who are these Nightsisters and why are we visiting them?"

Raven was carrying her infant son in her arms. Zeng had also noticed that she went nowhere without the child. Perhaps this could somehow be exploited.

"Azar prophesied that I would meet them. And one of them just contacted me."

Grayson gave her an incredulous look. He then looked at the Captain. "When did this happen?"

The Captain shook his head. "There is no record in the communication's log of any incoming message from Dathomir, or from anywhere for that matter. We are running in radio silence, per Lord Logan's command. You may check with … them." He gestured at the fire demons.

"They contacted me through magic."

"Magic? Are you sure, Raven? I mean, from what I've seen in this galaxy, the Force can be indistinguishable from magic."

"It was magic, trust me, if anyone can tell the difference, it's me. The Nightsisters have pledged their allegiance to us."

Nightwing's eyes narrowed. "To us?"

"OK, to me. Look, we're on the run, and we need every ally we can get."

"I see … so, what happens when we arrive at Dathomir?"

"Gar and I will go down to meet them."

Nightwing noticed the most subtle of smirks form on Zeng's mouth, and it vanished within a split second.

"You're going down there, just the two of you, to meet these strangers. You do realize that this could be a trap?"

"If it is I'll teleport us out of there."

"It might not be so simple. You said yourself that they practice magic."

"We'll be fine."

Starfire cleared her throat. "Raven, I agree with Nightwing, this is probably a trap. We should proceed with caution."

"There is no time. The Empire wants to conquer Dathomir and enslave the Nightsisters."

Zeng kept his poker face unchanged. This was news to him. The only use he knew of for Dathomir was in capturing Rancor monsters, which were of no use to the Empire, though the Hutts seemed to like the ferocious and untameable beasts. Still, there were ancient legends about the so called Nightsisters, and they kept the curious away from the planet. Even officers in the fleet took the legends seriously and stayed clear of the mysterious world.

Nightwing crossed his arms. "I don't know, Raven, I'm with Star on this. If you go down we should go down with you."

"We'll take a legion of the fire demons with us. We'll be perfectly safe."

"No, sorry. I know I can't stop you from going down, but you aren't going down alone."

Gar took Grayson aside. "We need you to stay up here and keep an eye on these guys. I don't trust Zeng."

Nightwing sighed. "I hope you aren't wrong about this."

 _ **-(-)-**_

An Imperial shuttle launched from the flagship and screamed down towards the planet. It was escorted by hundreds of fire demons, which provided an impressive show of force. Nightwing stood on the bridge and watched through the transparisteel window until he could no longer discern the shuttle. He turned to Zeng.

"So, still no radio communication with the planet?" He asked the Captain.

"None, but that is not unexpected."

"What do you mean?"

Zeng looked at Grayson. He had been watching the masked man carefully since the discussion with his fellow Earthings. It was obvious that this Nightwing was a warrior, but he could also tell that he was not a military man. His wife was also interesting. Zeng had already figured out that she wasn't human, her orange skin was a giveaway. He had briefly watched the footage from the lost battle on Naboo and was amazed at her abilities. She could fly without the use of wings or any visible form of propulsion, was stronger than a Rancor and could fire what appeared to be huge blaster bolts from her hands. He had never heard of such a race and assumed the this Starfire and her dark haired sister were from the same galaxy as the Eartlings.

"The Imperial Database identifies Dathomir as a lightly populated, pre-industrial civilization."

"So, you're saying these Nightsisters have no tech?" The tall and muscular dark skinned Earthing, who was also on the bridge, interjected.

"They are primitives."

"So, these Nightsisters, are they really witches?" Vic asked.

Zeng walked up to the viewport and looked down upon the misty looking planet.

"People will describe anything they do not understand as magic." Zeng replied in a monotone.

"Agreed … so why do people think that the Nightsisters are witches?" Nightwing remarked.

Zeng shrugged. "There is no information in the database. But if I were to hazard a guess, I would say that they are Force wielders."

'So, you do believe in the Force?"

"There is a lot of mythology regarding the Force. Of that, I do not know. But I do remember the Jedi, and the green one, he is a Force wielder … if I may ask, is he a Jedi?"

Nightwing didn't answer right away. "I'm not sure."

"I see … forgive me for asking … while the green one likes to give orders, I think it's rather obvious that your are the leader of your band. Am I correct?"

Grayson frowned at the Imperial. "You ask too many questions."

 _ **-(-)-**_

The ride entering the atmosphere was bumpy and the shuttle's pilot did everything he could to counter the turbulence. Using her senses Raven identified where they were going, a place in the northern hemisphere. The lower atmosphere was overcast and it shrouded the entire planet.

The pilot appeared to be quite nervous and Raven could sense his unease.

"Why are you worried?" She asked him.

"People rarely return from the surface."

"You'll be fine. You're under my protection."

"Yes, my Lady." He replied in an unconvincing tone.

The shuttle was now below the clouds and the planet's surface was finally visible. They continued to descend. The surface was covered with strange vegetation and thick mists. Gar frowned as he looked out through the front window.

"The Force is strong here … but ..."

"But what?" She asked.

"I don't know, I can't put my finger on it … it just feels weird."

Raven looked out the window and pointed. "Over there, that's where to land."

Starfire had convinced Raven to leave Matthew behind on the ship, and Gar was now very glad they did, as he was feeling the strangest tremors in the Force he had ever encountered, not that he was an expert. Suddenly he wished that Ahsoka was with them.

What appeared to be a small village lay before them as they made their final approach. It appeared to be deserted. The pilot fired the landing thrusters and the shuttle raised its wings before touching down, raising a thick cloud of dust, which obscured their vision.

"I sense something out there. Something big." Gar spoke in what was for him an uncharacteristic monotone.

"So do I." Raven replied.

The dust cloud was thick and took time to settle. As it did they could make out what appeared to be three huge silhouettes.

"What are they?" Gar asked no one in particular.

The dust cloud cleared up a little more and the pilot shrieked in terror. "They're Rancors! We have to get out of here!"


End file.
